Salems knight
by Nexus26
Summary: Jaune Arc was a simple child at birth until disaster struck stripping him of the ones he would have come to love. How will his life play out now that he's been adopted by the one person believed to be the incarnation of evil
1. Chapter 1

**Well I suppose this is my first fanfiction. Hope u enjoy my story and I don't own anything from RWBY, that's all Rooster Teeth but the story is mine.**

Chapter 1: A New Destiny

Ansel 16 and a half year's ago, a quiet village and home to the arc family or at least it was. Panic and terror now filled the streets as Grimm swarmed the village in droves. The death toll was unimaginable with no survivors in site.

Salem Queen of the Grimm had watched ansels fall from start to finish."At last the Arc family is no more and Ozpin's greatest warrior lineage is gone". Salem strode through the villages open streets until she came upon the Arc family home.

The doorway was damaged with claw marks and inside laid the bodies of several individuals sporting blonde hair. Salem watched as a few Grimm crept over to the corpses and began to feast on the flesh of the departed.

"Strange I don't see the new born son". The answer to Salems question came from a shining light that was radiating from a room further back. A look into the room revealed a baby releasing massive amounts of aura which kept the beowolfs at bay.

Salem placed a finger to her lips "The amount of aura this child has is impressive but at this rate it will only last for a few more minutes". Salem watched as the child's aura began to fade and the Grimm drew closer.

"To awaken his aura in such circumstances is truly rare" the Grimm were nearly upon him. The childs aura finally faded and the Grimm were ready to pounce when Salem commanded them to stand down. A few steps and Salem stood before the child as a small smile formed on her lips.

Reaching down Salem cradled the tiny baby in her arms. Image's flashed in her mind of her 4 children that Ozma and she once had. Each daughter taken away forever by death all because of their father. "I wonder if you'll finally understand what you put me through when I take this child's destiny out of your hands Ozpin".

Salem looked over the room until she found a small teddy bear with a name written on its tag."Jaune Arc how fitting" Salem placed the tiny bear next to jaune."It seems are time is short" Salem said to jaune "let us return home" she paused for a second and touched jaune's cheek"my son".

Flying high above the village a single black bird surveyed the area. Qrow Branwen in bird form watch as Salem left Ansel and returned to the Grimm lands before flying low to see if there were any survivors. Judging from the lack of sound and the intense smell of iron that radiated from every part of the village,Qrow didn't believe anyone was alive (just my luck I guess) Qrow thought.

Qrow flew high into the air "gotta report this to Oz". Qrow dreaded this task and he could imagine how summer was gonna react to her best friends death "damn it Nicolas".

**Well that's it for the first chapter, short I know but I am trying to get the feel for this since it's all so new to me. I just realized I don't know how to update New chapters...Damn!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well thanks to a very helpful review on how to upload new chapter's I have returned Bwa ha ha ha. Just kidding.**

**Chapter 2 : Tragic news**

Ozpin watched as the members of team STRQ assembled in his office. " I'm glad you all could make it on such short notice there's much we need to discuss".

Summer was the first to step forward and ask " Ozpin you said this was a emergency meeting did something happen"?

Ozpin walked around his desk taking the small moment to collect his thoughts before answering. "Ansel has been destroyed, there were no survivors I'm afraid" Ozpin expected shouting and true to form the room descended into chaos.

Summer and Tai Yang both swamped Ozpin with hundreds of questions until Qrow pulled them both back. Summer broke free from Qrow's grasp and rushed Ozpin "Nicolas and his family are they ok? Did they make it out"?

Ozpin closed his eyes and whispered the two words which killed all hope in Summers questions "I'm sorry". Summer was a trained huntress and knew how to control her emotions at any given time but in this moment she just couldn't.

"All of them" Summer stepped back in shock "even the children"? The fact Ozpin didn't answer only brought more pain. Summer fell to her knees, her legs giving out from the mental shock that Nicolas was gone.

Memories of Nicolas flashed through her mind and the promise they made with each other back when they were both in Beacon.

/

**Beacon 2nd year**

Summer sat in the cafeteria alone because her team was upset with her and she believed they needed to cool off. A sigh escaped her "why couldn't they understand" she asked her cafeteria food.

"I'm not interrupting am I" a new voice asked. Summer turned to the man that stood next to her he had a short blonde military hair cut and dark blue eyes."no your not Nic"

Nicolas sat opposite of Summer and gave her a once over "you did it again didn't you" he asked. Summer turned away "I don't know what your talking about". Nicolas reached over and poked the bandage on summers arm causing her to retract in pain "care to try again".

"There were people being attacked by bandits so I saved them" Summer blurted.

Nicolas nodded "just like I thought and I'm guessing your team was busy so you went in solo without a plan of attack"? "I won so what's the big deal" Summer questioned.

Nicolas let out a long sigh before answering her " yeah you won but you could have lost just as easily I mean look at the shape your in". Bandages, cuts and bruises covered most of Summers body. "Saving people is important true but coming back alive to those who love and care for you is just as important"

"Your my best friend Summer and I don't want to hear that the worst happened to you from your teammates". Nicolas always had a way of making Summer regret her decision and that sucked. Summer reached out and grabbed Nicolas hand giving it a squeeze "I'll be ok Nic I am a huntress you know" she said.

"Then promise me if your ever in a bind you'll ask for help I'll come running if I have too" Nicolas squeezed Summers hand. Summer sighed but ultimately agreed "only if the promise goes both ways I'm not some damsel in distress". Nicolas couldn't help but laugh at the notion "I promise and you know" Summer and Nicolas spoke at the same time "an Arc never goes back on there word".

/

**Present day**

Summer couldn't hold back the tears and broke down in the middle of Ozpins office. Tai Yang rushed to her side and held her in a hug trying his best to calm her down." There's more" Ozpin continued "we have a confirmed sighting that Salem herself led the attack on Ansel".

The news was poorly received by Raven who had been quite all this time. " Salem practically walks in with an army of Grimm and we're only now learning about it? What the hell Ozpin". Lifting a cup of coffee to his lips Ozpin took a quick sip "there had been next to no reports of Grimm in the area and it's not like Salem to be in the frontlines of this war".

"Luckily for us Salem didn't get all of Nicolas's kids" Raven said. Summer,Qrow and Ozpin looked to Raven with surprised expression on there faces. Raven looked to Tai and nodded "Saphron arc, Nicolas's eldest daughter was with us on Patch".

"Then the Arc bloodline is not lost"said Ozpin." Raven I need you to bring Saphron Arc here to Beacon it's the safest place for her now". Raven crossed her arms in defiance "the kid just lost her family and now you want me to leave her here with you? A stranger? In a place she's never been before? Not happening"." Raven this isn't the time to argue" said Ozpin "Saphron Arc must be kept safe and Beacon can do just that".

Summer pulled away from Tai "we can protect her". "The three of us can keep her safe on Patch" said Summer "don't you mean the four of us" Qrow stepped forward showing his support " we're all a team and this is the least we can do for Nic"

Ozpin realizing team STRQ would not be swayed to his way of thinking finally gave in. "She is young but I would ask that you train her to be able defend herself in case Salem comes for her". The four of them agreed before being dismissed by Ozpin. Ozpin sat in his chair before taking a swig from his coffee cup "let's hope Salem doesn't have anymore surprises for us"

**There we go another chapter down. I hope you all enjoy this one it's sad but just like the chapter title said it's tragic news.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sunday's suck but the creative juices keep flowin so I keep writing! Oh and time skip**

Chapter 3: Birth of a dream

4 and half years later

Salem didn't know why she even bothered sometimes. Looking at the clock only made her more angry "20 minutes late" she had enough. Salem burst through the library door on the hunt for the one who wasted her time.

First location the kitchen...nothing, moving on Salem made her way to the courtyard...nothing again. "If you want to hunt down prey you use it's predator" giving the command for every Grimm within the castle to hunt down a little boy maybe a little excessive but too late for regrets.

After a few moments the silence was broken by the sound of battle. A small smile spread over Salems face " there you are". Following the noise led her to the one place she didn't think to look the library "of course he'd be here" Salem grumbled.

Opening the door slightly let Salem see how jaune handled himself in an intense situation. Jaune knew his mother was angry with him the moment the Grimm that accompanied him turned on him.

Salem watched jaune slide under a table with the beowolf hot on his tail. The beowolf dived after jaune only to crash into the table. Jaune quickly climbed the nearby ladder to the second floor balcony "not this time mom".

The beowolf slid next to the ladder but instead of trying to climb the beast sat on the floor. "Nicely done jaune your definitely fast on your feet which begs the question of why you were late for my lesson"?

"What lesson mom? You said we could read the new chapter's of my book". Salems mouth almost fell open but she quickly regained her composer. " You forgot didn't you"? Jaune asked.

Salem levitated to the balcony jaune was on. "I did" jaunes shoulders slumped "but that doesn't mean we can't start now". Jaune ran over and hugged Salem "come on mom I left the book in your room".

Jaune jumped off the balcony and landed on the beowolf below "let's go" he told the Grimm. It was late but better now then later she supposed. Salem gave chase flying through the halls after the young boy.

Jaune had already settled on Salems bed flipping through the pages to where they left off. These were his favorite moments the times with no lessons and no training where he didn't have to act like a disciple for his mother's helpers.

Sealing the door behind her so they wouldn't be disturbed Salem undid the pins in her hair before settling in next to jaune. She didn't know when it had happened, maybe around the time jaune had started calling her mother that her heart felt at ease.

Wrapping her arm around jaune so he can rest on her side brought back memories of the good days of Ozma and her children. Hero of the fair maiden was a story about a knight who broke his oath to the king and started a revolution for the princess he loved. The story was also the reason why jaune promised that when he got older he would protect her from all the bad guys who made her angry and sad.

The idea she needed protection was foolish and she would have stated so to anyone else but when it came from one so young as he it felt more endearing. Hours had passed before Salem realized jaune had fallen asleep "he must have been tired" Salem leaned the small boy near the closest pillow before placing the blanket over him.

Slowly moving her fingers through jaunes hair she placed a kiss on the boys forehead. Salem left the bed for the door that led to the balcony outside. Letting out a haggard breath as she fought back the anger, the tears and the memories that threaten to overwhelmed her. "All his fault" she spoke through gritted teeth "it's your fault that there gone Ozpin".

As much as she tried the tears escaped her falling to the floor like every other time. The nights alone always reaffirmed her resolve to make that man pay for the hell he left her in each night. "Mom are you ok" a dreary eye'd jaune asked from the doorway. Salem hastily rubbed the tears away before walking over to the young boy.

"I'm ok sweetie but let's go to bed you don't want to be tired for tomorrow" jaune allowed himself to be guided back to bed.

Salem laid in bed contemplating what she would do next when two tiny hand grabbed her gown in an attempt to seek warmth (I'll think about it tomorrow) she thought before letting sleep take her.

Jaune slowly opened his eyes and looked up to his mother's face. The redness around her eyes, face and the scene he walked onto only made one thing clear to him and that was he didn't like this Ozpin person. Jaune snuggled closer to his mother (I won't let the bad man hurt you anymore) he thought before falling asleep once more.

**Alright there's the 3rd chapter. People still assume that Salem is nothing more than a evil person but she didn't start that way. All the the things she's been through has all came from one human emotion and that was love.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Longer chapters huh? I've been thinking of trying that but it's hard since this is my first time even writing a story and on my phone no less. Oc for this chapter**.

Chapter 4: fateful encounter

"Did you pack everything you needed"? Salem couldn't help but fuss over the small boy. "I double checked mom besides I'm going to be with master Alec and he's always prepared for everything". Jaune slipped his bag over his back before rushing out the door, this would be his first time out of the castle and in a new place he's never been before.

Awaiting jaune at the dock by the bullhead his master Alec Mercer slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder. "You ready for this kid"? Jaune place his bag on the bullhead before answering "yes sir". "Good last thing I need is dead weight then again that's all a squirt like you really is ain't it" Alec ruffled jaunes hair causing the boy to pull away.

Salems sudden appearance caused jaune and Alec to stand at attention "my queen we are set to depart for mistral at once". "Good be sure to return with the boy in one piece" Alec bowed to Salems words before entering the bullhead with jaune. Seeing the bullhead take off with her son made Salem very anxious "he'll be okay" she whispered to herself.

The trip wasn't as long as jaune had originally guessed it would be but now here he was in the middle of mistral. "A lot to take in huh"? Jaune nodded "there's so many people here" jaune commented as the two of them made there way to haven academy. "Of course there's a lot of people here this is a kingdom under the watchful eye of many huntsmen and huntresses". Jaune heard about those before they were like heroes who were paid for there services by the government and fought with strange weapons that could transform.

Apparently this school that they were going to trained these huntsmen and huntresses. "Master why are we here"? Alec turned to jaune "I've got orders to follow and this is the meeting place for a few contacts". Alec and jaune's arrival at havens campus was met by a few students who were expecting them and tasked with bringing them to the headmaster office.

"Leonardo lionheart it's been awhile" Alec exclaimed. The faunus behind the desk wiped a handkerchief across his forehead "yes it has Alec". Jaune noticed that two other people that stood in the room with Leonardo. The tall unnamed man looked from Alec to jaune "I didn't know you had a child Alec" throwing his head back and giving the fakest laugh that jaune ever heard Alec's demeanor changed." Ain't my kid he's her young protege" the tall unnamed man looked visibly shocked as did lionheart. The tall man regained his composer "my apologies young man" he spoke to jaune "where are my manners, I am Malcolm Nikos and this is my daughter pyrrha".

The young girl beside Malcolm tried to hide behind her father's leg. "Don't be rude pyrrha say hello" Malcolm pulled the young girl in front of him. "Hi" the small girl waved sheepishly "forgive my daughter she is not usually so reserved" Malcolm gave pyrrha a stern glare. "It's fine" jaune took a step forward and held his hand out to Malcolm "it's a pleasure to meet the both of you".

Malcolm shook jaunes hand as did pyrrha "Such manners from someone so young, I have no doubt you'll grow into a splendid man in time". Alec placed a hand on jaunes shoulder "we have private business to discuss" jaune nodded "I'll be outside".

Malcolm turned to his daughter "go keep jaune company, this won't take long" pyrrha hesitantly nodded before following jaune out of the room. Awkward was the only way jaune could describe this situation. "Um do you want to play something while we wait" pyrrha gave a half hearted shrug. "Ok" jaune said ignoring pyrrha's reluctance to his proposal.

Jaune grabbed pyrrha's hand and dragged her away from the headmasters office, past a few students and through the doors that led outside. "Okay let's go exploring the academy" jaune exclaimed happily. This was the first time he had ever hung out with someone his own age and he was going to make the most of it.

Jaune walked over to a large tree and pick up two sticks that were around his size before returning to pyrrha. Jaune pushed one of the sticks into pyrrha's hands " Okay now we're ready" jaune spun the stick in his hand like he did his practice sword. Pyrrha looked at the stick in her hand then back to jaune "what do we do now" pyrrha nervously asked "Whatever we want" jaune answered.

Pyrrha didn't know if following jaune was a good idea but he was confident so maybe he knew what he was doing or at least that's what she thought a minute ago. "Get back here you brats" the janitor yelled after them "keep running pyrrha I got an idea" jaune yelled. Spinning on the spot jaune uncapped the bottle of dish soap he stole and sprayed it on the floor "let's see you get passed that" jaune said as he resumed running. The janitor slipped on the soap like jaune predicted allowing them to get away.

Pyrrha tried to catch her breath, she never ran like that in her whole life. "Well looks like are prank for the students here is a bust" jaune dropped the empty container of dish soap onto the ground before following its example and laying down on his back. Pyrrha couldn't believe him "we got in trouble, chased around and all you care about is some stupid prank" jaune just smiled up at her "at least it was fun right"? Pyrrha fell to her knees from exhaustion and relief but as she thought about the situation as a whole she couldn't contain her laughter.

The laughter died when a low groan came from a bush behind pyrrha. Jaune rushed to his feet pulling his stick to a fighting stance as pyrrha hid behind him. "Who's there" jaune called out but no response came so jaune moved closer to the Bush and used his stick to move the branches. "Be careful jaune" pyrrha whispered from behind him, jaune nodded before taking a deep breath and rushed through the bushes stick held at the ready but the scene in front of him had no need for it.

Pyrrha pushed through the bushes to see what was happening. There laying a few feet away was a girl that was covered in dirt and grime but also claw marks that seemed deep. Jaune look around the area before moving over to the injured girl to check on her "pyrrha" jaune called back to her "go get the adults as fast as you can". When pyrrha stood frozen in place from shock jaune yelled "pyrrha go now"! Snapping out of her shock pyrrha ran as fast as she could back to the academy leaving jaune with the unconscious girl "hold on just a little bit longer" jaune begged.

Realizing that even if people came to save her she might not survive jaune made the choice that would probably get him a scolding later. He didn't know any fancy chant like his master but he delved deep and forced his own aura into the girl. At first it felt like her aura was a dying ember before his power mingled with hers causing it to erupt into a blazing inferno that threaten to devour him whole. Jaune pulled back with all his might falling to the floor a few inches away trying is best to catch his breath.

Looking over to the unconscious girl to see if it worked jaune was rewarded with a orange energy that engulfed the girls entire being. "Great it worked" feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden jaune fell unconscious on the floor next to the girl. Alec and Malcolm were the first to arrive on the scene to see not one but two unconscious children. "Jaune" pyrrha pushed passed her father and rushed over to her new friend. "What the hell is going on here"? Malcolm shook his head "your guess is as good as mine Alec but for now let's take them to the infirmary"

**This chapter was fun to make and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did until next time nexus26 out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Feels like my brain is constantly leaking ideas and I just can't stop typing.**

Chapter 5: family matters

Four and a half years can certainly change a person especially with all the secrets team STRQ knew. Summer slumped into the recliner, she needed a break from Saphron's continues attempts to defeat her. Tai Yang exited the kitchen "she's still out there you know" Summer shrugged her shoulders but didn't answer.

"Where's yang and ruby at" summer asked "their in the room watching tv, you know those girls are inseparable nowadays". Summer expected that from sisters but not cousin's "think Raven would takeover for me" Tai nodded "your dragging saphron in here for dinner when it's over though". Agreeing to the arrangement was easy enough only because nowadays it felt like Raven had the energy to reign in saphron and her infinite amounts of aura.

"Ray you think you can finish up Saphron's training for today" Tai yelled hoping Raven heard him. Raven stepped out of her and Tai's bedroom fully dressed in her combat gear " your getting old summer" was her only response before leaving out the front door. "Sorry for not being battle crazy" summer mumbled, Tai couldn't help but laugh.

Saphron went through a few sword maneuver with the newly forged family heirloom. Crocea mors the last of her family heritage was far heavier than she anticipated and being only 8 meant she didn't have the muscle mass to wield it properly. "You know if you can out last summer in battle it means your control over your semblance has improved" saphron took Ravens words to heart.

Saphron's semblance was damage reduction for lack of a better word. After constantly getting beaten into the ground by Ravens training regiment, Saphron's ability manifested during sparring practice when she began all but shrugging off attacks that would have knocked her out cold. Learning about her semblance wasn't difficult but learning to master it was another story, turns out using her semblance had a negative side affect.

Aura depletion was a worrying factor when activating her semblance so Raven answered it with a simple solution "timing". "Learning to activate and deactivate your semblance quickly will allow you to keep aura depletion to a minimum while maximizing your defensive capabilities".Saphron didn't understand at first so Raven explained it so even a idiot could understand "turn it on before you get hit then shut it off when your not using it".

Raven drew her sword and settled into her combat stance "Get ready kid cause your gonna be my exercise for today". Saphron felt a small bit of fear before Raven was on her like a wild beast out for blood.

Two hours later Raven returned to the house where Tai Yang had just finished preparing dinner. "Just what I needed after a long day like this" Raven reached out for a piece of chicken when Tai stopped her. "Not until you wash up first" Raven glared at her husband but Tai didn't back down "fine" Raven made her way to the bathroom before turning back to Tai "you know I could use a hand washing my back". Those words were all it took for Tai to go running after her.

Yang watched her parents disappear into the bathroom "how come mom never let's me take a bath with her" she asked summer. Summer place a hand over her face "Where's Qrow when I need him". As if on cue the door was pushed opened and Qrow arrived with a very tired Saphron in his arms. "I think I should be jealous your carrying another girl in your arms" summer joke "hun your the only woman I'll ever need" Qrow replied as he place Saphron on the couch.

"Daddy" ruby yelled as Qrow moved quickly scooping her up in his arms "did you miss me kiddo, I know I missed you". "Qrow aren't you forgetting something" summer motion for him which Qrow replied with by leaning over and gently kissing her "hun I'm home". Yang turned away making gagging noises in disgust "you'll be doing the same with someone someday" said Qrow.

Qrow looked around but saw no signs of the others "Where's Tai" summer pointed to the bathroom "Okay then where's Ray" once again summer pointed to the bathroom. Deciding it was best not to ask any further Qrow and summer got the three kids to wash up and get ready for dinner. Shortly after sitting down Tai Yang and Raven returned looking oh so happy with themselves "good shower" summer asked Raven "the best".

Later that night after the kids were put to bed team STRQ gathered in the dining room. "So what's the old man want this time" Raven went straight to the point as usual "he needs me to go to mistral, apparently one of Ozpins contacts has some information on Salems newest underling" explained Qrow. This news was surprising to say the least "why didn't they just tell Ozpin over the scroll" Tai questioned. "You never know who's listening but besides that one of Salems enforcers is in town" summer slid between Qrow arms before he continued "my job now is to collect the the information and eliminate the problem".

"Sorry hun this means I'm gonna be gone for a couple of days" summer nodded "when are you headed out" she asked. "Tomorrow afternoon why" summer smiled at the news "so I can get my fill of you today" summer grabbed Qrow's had and pulled him him to the door so they could head home. Tai Yang watched summer drag Qrow to the door "there they go" he said happily "for someone with a bad luck semblance he's relatively lucky nowadays" Raven commented.

"I wouldn't call it luck if you threaten to cut off his manhood unless if he confessed" Raven crossed her arms "if he had more balls he could have done it without my help". "Remember when Qrow told you that I'd be having three ways in a matter of days" Raven remembered she nearly cut him down right there "I don't share" she grumbled. Tai leaned over kissing her lips "neither do I".

The time for departure came quicker than Qrow would have liked but being sent off by two people he loved more than anything was priceless. Summer and ruby hugged him tightly "please come back safely" Qrow nodded to summer "I will" reaching out Qrow ruffled ruby's hair "take care of your mother while I'm gone".Qrow rushed off out of view before transforming into a bird (next stop mistral).

**And that's a wrap. A little look into the new life that team STRQ has**


	6. Chapter 6

**New day means new ideas and new chapters**

Chapter 6: The Opposition

Jaune cracked open his eyes to see a white ceiling "where am I". Pulling himself into a sitting position so he could have a better look around, jaune saw a few nurse's walking about. "Jaune" pyrrha ran over to his bedside "are you ok, do you need me to go get the nurse"? Jaune let out a tired yawn "naw I'm just a little tired".

Jaune pushed off the bed and on to his feet "how long was I out for"? Pyrrha had to think about it which meant longer than jaune would have liked "about two days" she finally answered. Yeah that really wasn't good but there was two things he needed to know first "how's the girl we saved" pyrrha pointed across the infirmary to a bed that held said girl "she still hasn't woke up yet, the doctors think she'll be awake any day now".

A sigh escaped him "Okay has master Alec been here yet"? Pyrrha looked very nervous now "Mr Alec has been here but he's been in a foul mood since we found you" jaune visibly winced. Master Alec has been angry for two days straight, jaune wonder if it was possible to swim back home.

Jaune wanted to see if the girl he saved was alright but the nurses wouldn't let him instead he was told the headmaster would like a word with him. Leonardo lionheart had received the news that jaune had awoken and was up and about so he had the nurses send the children to him. A knock on the door alerted Leo that his two guests arrived "please enter" Leo expected jaune not one of Ozpins most trusted agents.

Qrow closed the door behind him "hey" Leo began to sweat cause jaune would arrive at any moment. "Qrow what brings you all the way here" Qrow shrugged "I'd rather be with my wife and daughter but I have business in the area so I thought I'd drop by". Another knock on the door had Leo turning paler than a piece of paper "expecting someone" Qrow moved to the door and opened it for the two little visitors.

Qrow watched two little kids enter the room "aren't you a little young to be at this school" Qrow asked the little blonde boy who looked really familiar for some reason. Pyrrha quickly hid behind jaune "I was called here by the headmaster" jaune answered easily. Jaune held his hand out to the older man "my names jaune it's nice to meet you mister" Qrow grabbed the young boys hand and shook it "names Qrow good to meet you too kid"

Qrow's mind raced at a hundred miles a minute trying to understand why this boy looked so familiar. He knew he'd never met this kid before but jaune looked just like Nicolas only younger. Qrow watched the boy as he spoke to the headmaster, what they talked about he didn't pay attention to instead Qrow pulled out his scroll and quickly snapped a picture before anyone knew it.

Qrow turned away from the conversation to type into his scroll before sending the photo off. "When she wakes up you'll be the first to know" Leo assured the boy "thank you headmaster, also I was wondering if I could do a little combat practice in the gym"?

Before Leo could answer Qrow cut into the conversation "kid if you want real training how about a light sparring session with me". A strong opponent wanted to face him, jaune couldn't hide the smile that blossomed over his face.

/

Over at the Nikos home Malcolm Nikos walked to his private study. Pulling out a small glass cup and placing a tiny ice ball into his glass Malcolm sat in his chair ready to enjoy a quiet day with his favorite brand of whiskey. Malcolm Pulled the bottle of whiskey out of the bottom drawer and poured himself enough for a quick taste when the door to his study opened. "Think you can give me a glass of that"? Alec asked

Malcolm let out a long sigh "what are you doing here Alec" ? Alec had a very serious expression on his face "there's something urgent that I need to speak with you about but first I need a drink". Malcolm moved to the cabinet where he got his glass and made a new one before turning back to Alec "so what did you - before Malcolm could finish Alec placed a blade to Malcolm s neck.

Alec may not have always agreed with Malcolm on somethings but he definitely trusted him more than most. "What are you doing Alec"? Alec reached over into Malcolms pocket and pulled out his scroll "You thought my queen wouldn't notice how you've been sending information to Ozpin".

Alec's finger traced the top of the scroll and the top of the scroll opened slightly revealing a tiny red button. Clicking the red button caused the desk to open up revealing a hidden laptop. "How" Malcolm questioned "your butler was very forthcoming as long as we spared the rest of your family" Malcolm closed his eyes "Salem will fail like always". Alec shoved the the dagger through Malcolms neck ending his life "You should have known this would happen if you betrayed us so why do it when you didn't have any training or aura". Alec received no answer but then again he didn't expect too.

After retrieving the laptop Alec set a fire over Malcolms body and the study before disappearing into mistral.

/

Jaune tossed his favorite black hoodie to the ground and pick up his practice sword "ready when you are". Qrow swung his practice sword a few times before settling in a combat stance "ready kid". The fight was on as jaune charged at Qrow who didn't look worried in the slightest.

Jaune started with a thrust which Qrow knocked away before returning with a overhead swing that jaune rolled out of the way from. Jaune knew Qrow had the reach advantage, the speed and overall skills to demolish him but that only made him try hard. Qrow blocked a few quick slashes before jaune overreacted with his swing and Qrow took the opening to kick the kid in the back.

"Your pretty good for someone your age, in fact your better than my niece yang" jaune was already getting tired since Qrow was the only one landing blows on him. Jaune remember his master's lesson on fighting (anything goes in a life or death battle, as long as your the one standing in the end nothing else matters).

Jaune charged once more and when he was close enough he threw his sword at Qrow's face but it was quickly deflected. The feint was so he could aim for the real prize, jaune threw a punch aimed for Qrow's private only for the older man to knock jaune to the ground with the pummel of the practice sword. "Who showed you to fight like that" jaune rolled over on his back before answering Qrow "my master".

"Master always said anything goes in a life or death battle, as long as I'm the last one standing nothing else matters" Qrow couldn't help but agree. "Your master sounds like my uncle" said Qrow "my uncle trained my sister Raven following that philosophy and now she's one of the strongest huntresses on remnant". "Wow really" Qrow nodded to jaune "keep training and maybe next time you might stand a better chance against me" with those parting words Qrow left.

Pyrrha made her way over to jaune "are you ok" jaune smiled up at her "I always feel better after working so hard". Jaune tried to sit up but his muscles wouldn't let him "is training really so fun" pyrrha asked "I have a goal that can only be achieved when I'm strong but I know it'll take time to get there so why not enjoy the ride until I'm ready". "Do you think I can be strong too" jaune nodded "if I can do it I'm sure you can too".

**Another one down, on to the next.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I would have posted this sooner but I can't just spend all my time righting this story but anyways hope you enjoy this latest chapter**

Chapter 7: Departure

Nearly a day had passed since the fire at her home but even now she felt numb. Hearing the news that her father died in a fire at there home was shocking enough that she fainted, only to wake up in this room alone. A knock on the door went ignored at first but after the fifth time pyrrha got out of bed to answer it.

Opening the door revealed her friend "I'm not feeling well right now jaune". Jaune could understand why "I know but that's not why I came" this was gonna suck "I came to say goodbye" pyrrha didn't understand and only one word came to mind "what"? "My master said his business here was finished so we were going to leave tonight". Realising that jaune, her first real friend was leaving now after her father's death, it was too much to soon.

He knew this would happen the moment he told her he was leaving, pyrrha had begun to cry and he didn't know what to do. Panic set in as jaune tried to figure out how to stop her from crying (ok she crying because she's gonna be lonely so give her something so she won't feel that way but what do I give her). Jaune looked down at himself before mentally groaning. Pulling off his favorite hoodie, jaune wrapped it around pyrrha's shoulders "here this is my favorite hoodie".

Pyrrha stopped crying and looked at jaunes hoodie that was now hanging off her shoulders. "As long as you have this you won't be alone anymore" pyrrha's hands tightened on the fabric before asking the one question she felt she needed a answer too. "Will we still be friends even when you leave" jaune looked surprised for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face. "Of course we will, after all you are my first friend" thinking back on it since she is his one and only friend "I guess that makes you my best friend" jaune finished.

Before jaune had a chance to react, pyrrha hugged him tightly. This was embarrassing (thankfully master isn't around or I'd never hear the end of it) jaune thought as he returned the gesture by hugging pyrrha back. Pyrrha backed away while pulling up the sleeve of the hoodie to hide her pink cheeks and embarrassment. Jaune scratched the back of his head "I'll see you around pyrrha" with that jaune left to find his master.

Rounding the first corner from pyrrha's room stood master Alec "getting good with the lady's when I wasn't lookin, they grow up so fast these days" Jaunes response was a kick to his master's shin. Alec and jaune boarded the bullhead and prepared for take off when jaune noticed the girl he saved was strapped to the floor and was wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets. "Master what's going on here" Alec ignored him as they took off back to the Grimm lands "Master" jaune yelled but like the first time Alec ignored him.

After being annoyed by jaune the entire flight back he definitely needed a smoke. The bullhead landed at the dock at Salems castle "alright brat get your stuff and get out" jaune crossed his arms in defiance "not until you tell me why you brought her here". Alec was nearing the end of his patients "fine you wanna know why I brought her, I brought her because she'd be dead without you and now she owes you a life debt so congratulations kid you got your first underling".

"Happy now" jaune stared for a moment before letting out a sigh "yeah" with that jaune began to pick up his belongings. Alec undid the straps on the girl before hoisting her over his shoulder and carried her inside the castle. Waiting for there arrival in the main hall was Salem "I'm glad to see you've returned in one piece and it seems you brought a extra with you, might I ask why"? Alec pushed jaune forward "I saved her life so master said that she owes me a life debt".

"Really now" Salem questioned "and how did you save this girl" jaune looked to his master for help but the man was looking away from them. Now jaune knew he was in trouble if his master left him to his fate "I used my aura" he said after a moment. Salems eyes burned a bright red "what were you thinking! You haven't been trained to manipulate aura to that extent yet, you could have killed yourself" she screamed.

Salem turned to Alec "take the girl to a vacant room, I'll deal with you later" she hissed. Alec did as he was told and practically ran away leaving jaune alone with Salem. Grabbing jaune by the arm Salem dragged him to her room, once inside she sealed the door before turning to him again "what were you thinking"? There was more to her question this time, a tinge of sadness in her voice that kept jaune from talking back. Salem closed the distance between them knelt down and pulled him into a hug.

Jaune felt it the moment she grabbed him, his mother was shaking slightly "I don't know what I would have done if you never came back" she said. Jaune knew what he had done and felt terrible because he made her sad and worried. Jaune wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her back as he apologized "I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry" Salem pulled back and kissed his forehead "your ok and that's all that matters to me".

Salem wiped jaune face "I've got some people here that we need to look presentable for so no crying ok" jaune nodded. The walk to the meeting room gave jaune and Salem the time to get there emotions under control. Entering the meeting room jaune saw a few people he didn't know but didn't say anything as he stood on Salems right hand side when she sat in her chair.

"I don't believe I have the pleasure of meeting this child" a elder man said. Jaune looked to his mother to see if he shouldn't introduce himself but Salem gave a nod in his direction. "My name is jaune it's nice to meet you sir" the elder man smiled at him "greetings jaune I am Dr Morrilo hue and this gentleman on my left is Dr Arthur watts".

"I didn't realize this place was a day care" watts said out loud and to morrilo's horror. Salem smiled sweetly as watts found himself restrained by numerous Grimm arms and dragged to the floor. Jaune wanted to laugh but knew his mother would scold him for it so instead he coughed and tried to calm himself down. "Such disrespect in my home, I've killed for less but I think the honor of your punishment should belong to the another" Salem turned to jaune "what should I do with such a rude individual"? Jaune thought about it and wanted to say nothing but he knew his mother wouldn't let it end there so he had another idea "can we hear why Dr Morrilo brought him here first? It might be important"

Salem looked surprised but ultimately agreed "speak Dr" Morrilo tugged on his collar "thank you jaune and I apologize on my young colleagues behalf". "The reason I brought Dr watts is because as I'm sure you are aware I'm getting up in my Year's and can't continue as I could before so I brought essentially a replacement" Morrilo said. Salem sighed "I see, this is not what I expected but I do understand the situation" Salem stood up from her chair and walked over to Morrilo. "Morrilo you have served me for many years and I always reward those who have done well" Morrilo bowed his head "it has truly been an honor my queen". Salem reached out and a small Grimm appeared from her hand "take this and live the rest of your life according to your own desires". Morrilo did as instructed and the Grimm burrowed into his skin "in truth I wish I was younger so I could serve you again my queen" Salem smiled at her old subordinate "go in peace".

Morrilo walked to the door and with one final bow he left this war behind and disappeared to retire to a life of luxury.

Salem returned to her seat before releasing watts from the Grimm "serve me as well as Morrilo and I'll see to it that you'll want for nothing". Watts got to his feet "I understand" Salem raised a eyebrow to watts words "my queen I meant to say" watts corrected himself. Salem turned to the last person in the room who hadn't been introduced yet "jaune this person will be living with us from now on, her name is cinder fall".

**There we go!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A quick Chapter today hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 8: Just my luck

Qrow sat in a bar somewhere in mistral, he didn't bother to remember where cause it really didn't matter. Taking a shot was like drinking nectar from the brothers and right now he was in desperate need for more. "Haven't seen you drink this much since that day summer told you she was pregnant" Qrow turned to see his sister Raven.

Qrow couldn't help but chuckle "that was one of the best and worst days of my life, can't blame me for drinking and if I remember correctly you were there with me". Raven sat next to Qrow and ordered herself a drink "so what did you really want to talk about"? Qrow took another shot to get himself ready "I called you here because of this" Raven grabbed the scroll Qrow handed her.

Raven knew the minute she saw the image of a man with grey hair and red eye's on the scroll that she was going to need a lot more to drink. "I blame you and your damn semblance" Qrow shrugged before taking another shot "I blame my semblance too". A moment of silence passed between them before Raven broke it "I wish Nic was here, that ass always seemed to have a plan for situations like this". Qrow nodded in agreement "think if I told him that bastard was still alive he'd roll over in his grave" Raven took another shot "he'd probably claw his way back to life just to finish the job".

Raven looked at the picture once more "squall Branwen" those words felt like acid on her tongue. "I hear he goes by a new name now" Qrow looked at his now empty glasses and wished he had more. "Apparently he calls himself Alec Mercer now" Raven polished off her own glass before turning to Qrow "you know we can't just let him walk free after what he did to are tribe".

Qrow shook his head to try and keep himself focused "it gets worse". Raven scoffed at the idea before remembering that this was Qrow and that usually meant it was mind numbingly bad "crap".

"You know my mission and why I'm here right" Raven nodded "well the contact I knew who had the information I needed was killed in a fire, put that together with the fact a man who's supposed to be dead and hasn't been seen in any kingdoms magically appears out of nowhere and vanishes just as quickly what do you get" Raven sighed "a possible agent of Salem".

It was possible "did you check the body for any stab or gun shot wounds"? Qrow nodded "single stab wound through the neck, checked it myself" Raven thought about getting plastered but decided against it because Tai would make her sleep on the couch.

"I was so sure we finished him that time" Raven rubbed the bridge of her nose out of frustration. "I know this sounds bad especially after squall destroyed the Branwen tribe but I think I prefer my life this way" Ravens eye's narrowed on Qrow. "Are you telling me you agree with what he's done" Qrow raised his hands in a mock surrender "no I just think we wouldn't be living the life we are now if are tribe was still around".

Qrow was right, although she hated to admit it, if the tribe was still around one of them would have had to be it's chieftain. Being chieftain would have been great but the cost would have torn them apart, mostly because it would mean abandoning the people they loved. Qrow would have had to leave summer and ruby or she would have had to leave yang, saphron and Tai behind and at this moment she just knew that wasn't possible.

"I'll keep a eye out for anymore sightings of squall and if I find him I'll be sure to let you know" said Qrow. Raven got to her feet and opened a portal back home " you coming" Qrow thought about it for a second "Yeah I think I'd rather be with my family than here besides I've got something to discuss with saphron tomorrow". Raven already knew what he wanted to talk with her about "I take it it's about that kid you met"? Qrow nodded "I'm hoping it's just a look alike but if it is what I fear we may just have a bigger problem than squall".

After leaving Raven and Tai's house Qrow made his way back home which if he thought about it wasn't all that far away since they practically lived next door to each other. Kicking off his shoes and putting his huntsmen gear away Qrow opened the door to his and Summers room. The scene of ruby and summer sleeping together peacefully was exactly the reason why Qrow continue doing the work he did. Crawling into bed beside his wife and daughter, Qrow closed his eyes and slept peacefully that night.

The next morning came and summer woke to the most heart warming scene she'd ever witnessed. Qrow had returned and ruby now laid atop him with all four limbs practically wrapped around is mid section. (She always did adore him more) she thought before grabbing her scroll and took a picture of the both of them.

**There we go the truth of what happened to the Branwen tribe and the reveal of who jaune's master really is.**


	9. Chapter 9: the next generation

**That moment when my cousin accidentally erased my chapter it literally made cry for like ten minutes. I'll never let my family touch my phone again.**

Waking up in the new room that Salem gave to her was definitely weird considering where she used to live. Cinder new staying in bed wasn't the best idea so she got up and got dressed before making her way to the dining hall. There sitting at the table were only two people, Salem herself and Arthur watts. Salem paused in her meal before turning to cinder "speak your mind child, I won't bite" there was something she wanted to ask but cinder wasn't sure if she should interrupt there meal.

Realizing she was given permission to speak, cinder asked "where are the others I thought we'd all be here for breakfast". Salems eye's narrowed on cinder for a few seconds "If you must know, jaune is out training with alec, apparently he discovered something about his semblance last night and wanted to see if it would help improve his combat capabilities". Cinder was a bit shocked that a kid younger than her was training against a fully grown man. "Mistress isn't it dangerous for someone so young to train so hard"? Salem couldn't help but laugh at the little girl "if you really believe that than you don't know jaune at all, then again you only met him yesterday so that's to be expected".

Salems attention seemed to drift off for a moment before a smile spread across her lips "it seems that the young lady, jaune and alec brought back with them has finally awakened". Turning back to cinder, Salem spoke "cinder would you please inform jaune that his guest has awakened, also tell him to bring her to me". "Yes ma'am" cinder acknowledged before leaving the room, once outside the dining hall cinder realized she screwed up.

Cinder didn't know her way around the castle and she had way to much pride to go back and ask. Deciding she had no other choice, cinder took off at top speed running through the castle hoping she ran into jaune or alec. Thirty minutes later and cinder had finally found the people she was looking for. The loud grunts and the sounds of combat had her hesitating, but she pushed through only to reach a scene she thought impossible.

Jaune had been at this for hours and not once did he falter. The new way he used his semblance allowed him to nearly outlast his master. Alec backed away trying to catch his breath "damn kid, I know you said you had an idea of how to last longer in a fight but I didn't think you'd last this long". Jaune tried to take the offensive but his body couldn't take anymore, with great reluctance jaune fell back onto the ground.

Jaune had realized his semblance could boost and restore other people's auras but the idea he could do the same to his own didn't cross his mind until last night.

After getting a small cut on his finger jaune activated his aura and healed it instantly, that simple act sparked the idea of how he could use his semblance in combat. Aura takes most of the damage the body sustains, but more damage lowers the aura around the individual which is why people use aura meters to know when it's a good idea to attack or defend. This new idea nulls the downside to aura damage by revitalizing jaunes own aura with his semblance, essentially giving him maximum protection at all times.

It was a good thing his mother beat the knowledge of auras and there uses into him or this might never have come to mind. Alec sat beside his young student "I'm impressed you came up with such an idea, keep this up and you could essentially cut the years I need to train you in half or more". Jaune couldn't help but smile at the idea that maybe just maybe he could catch up to his master's level.

"Can you move or do you need help"? jaune made the attempt to move but failed before turning to his master "I need help". Alec hoisted jaune over his shoulder and carried him back to the castle, while on the way he ran into the new girl cinder "is there something you needed"? Cinder stood tall or at least as tall as a eight year old could before answering "Salem wanted me to tell jaune that his guest has finally awakened and for him to bring her to Salem". "Alright I'll make sure we bring her as soon as we get cleaned up first" cinder nodded to alec before taking off back into the castle.

Jaune was tired and just wanted to rest but he knew if he disobeyed his mother's orders she'd send the Grimm after him...again. After getting cleaned up, jaune and alec finally arrived at there destination, the guest room where alec had left the girl. After the tenth knock went ignored, jaune open the door only to find that the room was empty.

After waking up in a room she's never been in before the unnamed girl decided to escape only to find herself cornered by three wild Grimm just outside. The three beowolfs got ready to pounce on there prey when two individuals landed in front of her "See master, I told you she wouldn't be far" said the blonde headed boy. The older man just grunted before walking towards the three Grimm "check to see if the girls alright" the older man called back before rushing in to deal with the Grimm.

"Who the hell are you guys" the boy regarded the unnamed girl for a brief moment before answering "I'm jaune and that's alec" he said pointing to the man tearing the Grimm apart with his bare hands "what's your name"? After thinking about it the unnamed girl came up with nothing, she didn't even know her own named "I don't know" she finally admitted.

Jaune looked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt "well I can't just call you nothing, so how about a temporary name until you remember your own"? The unnamed girl thought about it "fine then, just call me vernal" jaune held out a hand to her "Vernal it's nice to meet you" the girl returned the gesture. Alec came back a few seconds later "let's get back to the castle, I need breakfast" at the mention of food there belly's growled.

Arriving in the dining hall, vernal didn't know what to expect but the site of Grimm serving food to everyone was unbelievable. "Welcome young lady, I am Salem" the monstrous women said as she practically glided from her spot at the table to them. Vernal was shaken to her core, quickly turning to jaune and alec she realized neither of them seemed bothered by this thing. When vernal didn't answer jaune nudged her with his elbow "It's nice to meet you too" vernal said quickly "I'm vernal" Salem couldn't help but ask the obvious question "are you scared of me child"?

Vernal visibly gulped before answering with a shaky "Yes ma'am" Salems eye's burned a bright red "good". Jaune dragged vernals terrified form to the table "she not as bad as you think, just serve well and you'll be ok". Salem sat in her chair once more "jaune be sure to watch over your underlings properly so they know there place" vernal turned to jaune "underling" she asked? Jaune nodded to her "yeah about that, apparently since you would have been dead unless I saved you, your life belongs to me"

Vernal couldn't believe this crap, there was no way she was going to be anyone's servant "and if I refuse"? Salem smiled gently "then I'll make sure you regret ever being saved or I could just have you become Grimm food" vernal paled and quickly made her decision to serve jaune. After breakfast was done jaune, vernal and cinder were sent to the library for there lesson with Salem and watts.

"Why do I have to study too" vernal asked jaune "if your going to serve me and Salem I at least want you to have a brain to use". Cinder tried her best to ignore the other's, mostly because vernal wouldn't stop complaining but eventually her patients snapped. "Would you be quite I'm trying to pay attention" vernal turned to cinder "talk to me like that again and I'll break your face bitch"

Jaunes hand held his face, this day couldn't get any worse or so he thought. Vernal and cinder continued to bicker until Salem turned to them with her arms crossed "I think you all have to much energy so I'm only going to say this once, run". Jaune knew what was coming just from hearing a howl in the distance. Vernal and cinder looked confused until they saw jaune hop out of his chair and run for dear life. Salem watched the two girls run after her son "this is going to be fun"

**Finally got this chapter out. After my cousin deleted my previous one I felt so horrible I ate a tub of ice cream to get over it.**


	10. Chapter 10: The March of time

**A quick thanks to everyone who's read my story.**

Seven years passed before jaune knew it and was quickly coming to his master's graduation test. "Son of a bitch" vernal yelled before she crashed face first into cinder. Alec had been overseeing there training again and was starting to feel slightly disappointed in vernal and cinders performance. Jaune had out lasted both his opponents again but this time he didn't move from the center of the ring.

Alec had trained jaune for most of his life but the rate at which his skills had improved was unbelievable. The skill with his semblance allowed jaune to train longer than anyone which gave him an overwhelming advantage over the other two who were currently on the ground. "Come on guys I thought we were supposed to be training" jaune yelled to the other two.

Cinder was the first to her feet "Vernal stay out of my way". Cinder ran at jaune ready to bring him down only for alec to step in front of her and halted her assault. "Alright that's enough for today, clearly any sort of team work is lost when your faced with a superior opponent" cinder turned away in anger. Vernal finally got off the ground and dusted herself off "we keep losing because you spend more time training jaune than any of us".

For once cinder agreed with vernal "if we are going to be risking are lives on these missions that Salem has planned for us we need to be at a higher level than this" said cinder. Alec nodded at her words before sighing loudly "I didn't want to do this until I was sure you could handle it but I suppose now is as good a time as any". Jaune, cinder, and vernal gathered around there master "I've been thinking about it for a while now but it's as you said cinder I have trained jaune more but not for the reason you think".

Alec turned to jaune "I've decided to grant you your graduation mission". Cinder and vernal were enraged beyond belief but alec continued "despite what you two think, jaune has more or less completed his training under me". Jaune was shocked at this revelation "master are you sure, I'm only twelve years old surly there is more you can teach me"? Alec shook his head "in truth there are already some aspects in which you exceed me at, the only reason you've never defeated me is because you lack the experience".

Alec placed his hand on jaunes shoulder "once you complete your mission you'll be ready to serve Salem, then you and I won't be master and student but equals". Jaune couldn't help but stand a little taller at his master's words "what's my mission master"? Alec's expression turned serious "your mission will be to eliminate a white fang base we located on the outskirts of atlas".

Jaune couldn't help but feel nervous at the idea that he was graduating. "You must be happy that even though your the youngest out of all of us, your the strongest" said vernal. Jaune wrapped his arm around vernals shoulder "Come on vernal, don't tell me your gonna be lonely when I'm not around to kick you butt" vernal scoffed at the idea before pushing him away.

Cinder didn't like the idea that jaune was graduating when she was the oldest out of all of them but even she had to admit that jaune was stronger than her. "Jaune" jaune turned to cinder "don't get ahead of yourself, it won't be long before I catch up" jaune nodded. Making it back to the castle, the four separated to get washed up before meeting in the dining hall for dinner.

Now cleaned and fully dressed jaune made a stop by his mother's room but made sure to knock first before entering. Salem watched jaune entering "it's been awhile since you've dropped by my room, is something wrong"? Jaune hugged Salem "no just a little nervous mom, apparently master has decided I'm ready to graduate and is sending me to atlas" Salem was surprised at this news. "Tell me the truth, do you feel ready for this" Salem asked? The determination in his eyes said it all "I trust master's intuition but more than that I've never felt more ready".

Dinner that night went by quicker than jaune would have liked but now he had packing to do. A knock on the door had jaune dropping his gear on the bed before answering the door. Opening his door revealed vernal with a bag and her gear at her side "what's going on vernal"? Vernal reached up and grabbed jaunes collar "I'm coming with you obviously and that's not up for negotiations" vernal pushed jaune back to make way into his room. Before jaune could close his door another figure pushed passed him "I guess I'm not the only one who thinks you going alone is stupid" said cinder.

"Look guys I'm grateful you want to help but this is something I need to do in order to prove I'm ready for the missions Salem has for me" said jaune. "Say what you want but I owe you my life and if you get killed, well how else am I suppose to get my freedom" jaune rolled his eyes "Vernal, you may as well be free since you never listen to any of my orders anyway". Vernal shrugged her shoulders "of course I'm not gonna follow orders otherwise I'd have a stick up my ass like cinder". Cinder ignored vernals comment "Look your gonna be in mantle for a few days, at least if you've got us with you we can watch your back until you finish your mission and we'll ask master just to make sure it's ok"

After asking master alec and getting the ok for cinder and vernal to join him, the bullhead was off with cinder as the pilot. Jaune had to ask "Cinder when did you learn to fly a bullhead"? Cinder clicked the auto pilot on before joining jaune and vernal in the back "while you've spent most of your time training to kill things, I've been learning to pilot air crafts and hack computers". Vernal and jaune were surprised "your not the only one learning new things cinder, I've been learning to pick locks, concoct various poisons as well as make explosives" vernal proudly stated.

Jaune shook his head "at this rate you guys are probably gonna be given your own graduation mission and then we'll be doing this all over again". After several hours of flying, cinder brought the bullhead low for landing. Slipping into his winter clothes jaune was the first outside "I don't see why anyone wants to live here, it's freaken cold" cinder came out with a small flame burning in her hand and vernal was shaking as she came down the ramp.

Jaune took command of the situation "we should cover the bullhead so it's not discovered and then we'll head to mantle" cinder raised a hand "how are we supposed to get in"? Jaune held up his scroll for the others to see "I've had watts make three ID registration for each of us before we left so I'll send them to your scrolls now, that should be enough to get us bye in the city". "Master has arranged for a room for us in a nearby motel so we'll head there first to put are things away" jaune sent the ID's to cinder and vernal before moving to cover the bullhead.

Once they had finished and entered mantle, jaune felt his nerves acting up. Making there way to the motel jaune couldn't help but look forward to his mission. "Welcome to mantle" jaune whispered as they arrived at the motel and his first mission.

**Another one bites the dust. now we are in a new location for jaunes first mission. What can we expect? Who will we meet? Pfft I don't know, I don't plan these things**


	11. Chapter 11: A meeting with the General

**I got a message from someone, who will not be named asking if I really don't plan anything I write. The answer to that is "yup" everything that I write just seems to flow out of me the minute I start typing.**

Jaune sat atop the motel and stared at the floating land of atlas in wonder. This was his first mission, he'd already received all the details of his assignment from his master along with a map of the terrain from watts. Recon sounds like a good idea, better to learn about the surrounding area just in case there's an emergency, jaune thought to himself as he hopped off the roof.

After walking through mantle for the last hour or so jaune still hated the place. The cold, the atlas droids and the way people seemed to want to avoid others really rubbed him the wrong way. Jaune made his way down a road that seemed busy for some reason, turns out it was the grand opening for the brand new office of the schnee dust company. Jacque schnee stood in front of the crowd and gave a speech that jaune ignored completely, his eyes locked on the guards that were currently being taken out quietly by masked individuals.

"Just my luck" jaune whispered as he pulled the hood of his coat over his head and moved towards the front of the crowd. Reaching under the back of his coat jaune drew a combat knife that could mechashift into a long sword when he needed it to. The Guard's at the front of the line caught sight of him and made to intercept only for jaune to break into a full blown sprint towards the pedestal where Jacques schnee was.

The Guard's yelled a warning for the people to get down but jaune had already cleared the space between them, jumping on top of one of the guards before jumping to the pedestal. A hidden huntsmen moved quickly, stepping in front of Jacques and extended his arm to defend the man from the frontal assault about to happen. Jaune jumped once more over the two individuals in front of him to knock the young man who jumped off the roof and was set to kill Jacques schnee, out of the air.

The assassin crashed through the buildings window as jaune landed behind Jacque. Jaune turned to the white haired man "your in danger here sir, the white fang I'm guessing have come for you". The huntsmen step forward and pulled his cloak off revealing his identity as General Ironwood "I don't know who you are but I'd stand down if I were you, your actions are interfering in huntsmen affairs". The decision was taken out of his hands when the white fang members began to open fire on everyone wearing a atlas uniform.

The General grabbed Jacque and pulled him down and out of the line of fire. Jaune ran quickly zigzaging his way past gunfire as he approached his targets, a few bullets hit there mark but jaune pushed through. Coming to the closest faunus, jaune pushed the man's gun away before slitting his throat, catching the body and using it as a meat shield, jaune moved on to the next person in line. One after another the white fang members watched there numbers get cut down by someone half there age.

The General watched what he believed to be a massacre as the smaller individual covered the streets in faunus blood. The last member of the white fang dropped his weapon and fell to his knees begging to be spared. Jaune reached down and grabbed the faunus by his collar and dragged him before the general "if you want to beg someone for anything do it to him" jaune pointed to Ironwood "after all it was his men your people killed".

The General didn't wait for the faunus to beg before knocking him out "I'd like to thank you for your assistance" the general turned to jaune. Jaune waved his hand trying to dismiss any kind of praise the General might offer only for Ironwood to shoot him in the back with a lightning dust bullet. Ironwood watched the young man collapse on the floor before turning to Jacque "are you alright"? Jacques smack ironwood's hand away "I am, no thanks to you and your men" Jacque dusted himself off.

The General didn't have time for this so he moved to tie up the young man who helped him. Once the captives were detained ironwood called for additional soldiers and huntsmen to help escort both the VIP and the captives back to Atlas. Once both of the captives were placed in holding cells the General escorted Jacques schnee home personally.

Arriving at the schnee manner, Jacque disembarked before turning to Ironwood "I wouldn't do anything unsavory to that boy General" Jacques sent a video file of the current news in Atlas to Ironwood. The General opened the clip to see himself shoot the boy in the back as the captions rolled on by saying in big bold letters (hero betrayed by General). Jacque enter his home and the General returned to Atlas Academy with hope that the boy was now awake so he could be questioned.

Waking up in a cell was bad news especially if that cell was in Atlas. Jaune checked his surrounding area but the room was bare for the most part until the door to his cell opened and the General walked in alone. "You know a simple thank you would've done just as good" the General smirked "sorry but I couldn't afford to take any chances on the off chance you were an enemy". Jaune couldn't help but sigh "I save you and the first thing you think is, he's a bad guy"? Jaune shook his head "that's some messed up logic"

"First off you didn't save me" jaunes smile said otherwise "and secondly you were illegally using a weapon within the city without a huntsmen license". Jaune just shrugged his shoulders "in case you haven't noticed everywhere is dangerous nowadays, take today for example". That didn't explain the boys incredibly skill with a blade and the fact he slayed all those men without so much as blinking a eye, Ironwood thought.

The General paced back and forth in the room, never once turning his back on jaunes. "Tell me where did you receive your training from" jaune smiled at the question "my departed master taught me how to stay alive at any cost" jaune lied easily. "Do you have any family we could contact" jaune shook his head "I've been a orphan for most of my life, my master was the only one I've ever considered family" he lied again.

The General couldn't help but smile "I see, well this works out nicely then" Ironwood stood a little taller. "I've read your file and apparently your only twelve with no family located in mantle or Atlas and no other legal guardians are listed" jaune was starting to feel uncomfortable. The General continued "by law I'm obligate to send you to are orphanage until your of adult age of eighteen but since you show such promise as a huntsmen I've made the legal documents to officially adopted you" now jaune felt incredibly sick.

Ironwood strode over to jaune and place his hand on the boys shoulders "I look forward to getting to know you better" the Generals smile grew "Son". Jaune thought of Salem, his mom was gonna kill him if the General didn't first.

/

Back in mantle cinder and vernal watched on the news how jaune got captured by the General of Atlas. Cinder knew they were screwed and vernal, well she was unconscious on the floor.

/

The young assassin escaped out the back of the building and into the sewers before anymore Atlas soldiers could capture him. Following the sewage back to the outskirts of mantle, the assassin made his way to an abandoned mine where there base was at. "Adam are you ok" a cat faunus asked, Adam nodded to her "Blake, the operation was a failure, I need to speak to Sienna" Blake nodded and guided him to a monitor.

The screen flashed and a tiger faunus appear before them. Adam and Blake knelt down "high leader khan I take it you've heard the news already" Sienna nodded in acknowledgement. "I accept full responsibility for this failure and will accept any punishment you give but I have one request" Sienna sat back in her chair "you dare ask me for a favor after all those faunus were murdered under your orders"? Adam flinched at Sienna's anger but continued "I would like to know the name of the person who interfered in are plan, so I can make sure it never happens again".

Sienna was still pissed but she agreed to his request "Adam, when we find out who this person is, I want you to make an example out of him". Adam bowed his head "I swear he'll regret the day he crossed the white fang" with a flash the screen died, leaving Adam and Blake in silence.

**Life rarely goes the way we want it too, better to just roll with the punches.**


	12. Chapter 12: Battle

**Sorry for the wait, let's get this story rolling. Review if you can, after all hearing from others help bring new ideas to the story**

Jaune was in a predicament he couldn't fight his way out of and that bothered him. The General returned the next day with a new scroll that he attached to jaunes wrist "this will insure you don't vanish on us". Jaune looked over his new attachment before turning to Ironwood "I'm guessing it tracks my movements and let's you listen to my conversations"? Ironwood didn't respond and that was all jaune needed to confirm his suspicions.

Ironwood let jaune out of the cell and led him over to a training room "here I'll be giving you a test to see where your level of skill is at before testing your educational level". Ironwood clicked on his scroll "send her in" the door on the opposite side opened and a white haired girl stepped into the training grounds. "I've decided that someone with a little more skill would be a fine opponent, so let me introduce you to Winter schnee" the girl bowed politely to Ironwood before doing the same to him.

Jaune turned to Ironwood "so all I gotta do is beat her before your other test"? The General smiled at him "only if you can" with that the General returned jaunes weapon and vacated the area. Once the blade was back in his hand, jaune went through a few practice moves with the small blade before settling in his fighting pose.

Winter couldn't help but think this was a joke, the boy was no older than her sister. The fact the General went so far as to adopt this boy for reasons unknown and have her of all people face him, it didn't make sense at all. Pulling her blade free, Winter settled into her own fighting pose.

The battle had begun with winter using her semblance to fire off various types of dust blasts to keep jaune at a distance. Each attack fired, missed there mark as jaune dodged them easily but made no effort to close the distance between him and winter. Ironwood watched the match and could tell that the boy was just bidding his time for the right opportunity to strike.

Jaunes movements began to get smaller as he focused on the timing each attack took to reach him. A few minutes in was all it took before he was practically dancing out of the way of Winter's assault. "You know this isn't much of a fight if you can't touch me" jaune yelled, Winter halted in her attack "I see, then I think I'll take this a little more seriously".

a glyph formed behind winter and jaune had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen. Winter was launched by her glyph at incredible speed straight into jaune with the force of a ursa. Jaune's aura flared to life as he was blasted back into a nearby wall, the force of jaune hitting the wall left crack marks.

Ironwood looked to the aura monitor and saw jaunes aura nose dive into the orange, before Ironwood could turn back to the fight he saw jaunes aura begin to refill quickly. Ironwood couldn't believe his eyes, turning to jaune in time to see his white aura was burning brighter than before. Once the white light vanish jaunes aura was completely restored, stretching lightly allowed jaunes back to stop hurting.

"I don't know if that was your best move winter but it's gonna take a lot more than that to take me down" winter gritted her teeth in anger at jaunes comment. Winter created another glyph behind her and launched at her target but jaune was already running to the left trying to escape winter's attack. Another glyph appeared in the air on winter's left allowing her to move through the air quickly, jaune realized he couldn't escaped but also saw the opportunity he needed.

Jaune spun around and mecashifted his blade to it's long sword form, taking a position to brace himself, their blades clashed. Winter was certain that jaune would falter, what she didn't expect was jaune to use her momentum against her. Jaune grabbed the underside of Winter's sleeve as he twisted his blade which caused a over the shoulder throw, winter smashed into the ground with enough force that she literally bounced off the ground.

After hitting the floor so hard, winter rolled to a stop, her aura crackled and popped but held strong. Jaune, not wanting to lose the advantage he gained, rushed a kneeling winter and delivered a devastating knee into winter's face before she could fully stand. Winter was dazed from the knee she received and couldn't avoid jaune when he wrestled her arm behind her back and forced her face first into the ground "you might want to give up winter" jaune said happily.

This kid wanted her to give up, that was the last straw, a glyph appeared under winter's stomach and launched them both into the air. Winter broke free from jaunes hold and created another glyph which lined her up with her target. Jaune had seen the technique multiple times now, taking aim at his target, jaune threw his blade. As winter flew through the air a flash of silver flew at her hand and knocked her saber free from her grasp.

Now that her weapon was left behind winter didn't have the dust to use her semblance plus she was still flying towards jaune. Winter reached jaune and dealt a right straight into jaunes face, jaune took the hit but as they both fell to the ground jaune took hold of Winter's right arm and repositioned himself behind winter. Winter tried to break free but it was to late, the combined weight of jaune and herself only added to the force she felt when jaune used her as a landing pad.

Winters aura shattered and she didn't get up even after jaune got off of her. Jaune let out a tired sigh as Ironwood call the match. Leaning forward allowed jaune to place a hand on winter's back. Focusing his semblance on winter, began the healing process at least until he heard a loud click near his head.

Jaune turned to see Ironwood's gun aimed at his head "I think you need to stand down now son". Jaune did as he was told and backed away from winter's body "Good, now on to your next test" James said.

**Whew! My first action scene**


	13. Chapter 13: escape

**Let's go! **

Ironwood sat in his office contemplating this moment since he took jaune in a week ago, the boy was skilled and smart but what really caught his attention was the boys looks. Sitting back in his chair, Ironwood opened a link to a scroll in vale, after a minute or two Qrow answered "this better be fucking good Irondick" Qrow said angrily. "I take it I've caught you at a bad time" Qrow rolled his eyes "what do you want"?! Ironwood sighed at Qrow's impatience "the boy you told us to keep an eye out for is here in my custody, I'd thought I'd let you know so you could bring her here".

Qrow was silent for a long moment before he looked away from the screen "Ruby go get Saphron, tell her it's the type of urgent that can't wait". After a few minutes in silence, Qrow finally spoke "saph we found him" there was talking in the background but Ironwood couldn't hear it all that well. Qrow turned back to Ironwood "we'll be there shortly and I'll inform Oz about this" Ironwood nodded to Qrow before the connection was cut.

/

Qrow put his scroll away before turning to Saphron "you gonna be ok kid"? Saphron didn't know what to say but she knew what she felt "I'll get Raven" saphron ran back to her home only to realize Raven was out. Qrow took the opportunity to send Ozpin a message about Ironwood finding Saphron's brother and how he's in Atlas.

/

If there was one good thing jaune could say about Ironwood it was that the man knew how to design a weapon. Jaune looked over the new weapons Ironwood had designed for him. He picked up the customized hand gun, it was bigger than the standard issue the military used and it could utilize dust rounds if needed. Placing the weapon in its holster, jaune turned to the new long sword, the blade was double sided and had v-shaped markings along the center of the blade.

Jaune swung the sword a few times before sheathing it behind his back, picking up the slip of paper jaune realized it was the instructions for the swords functions. Jaune was surprised to find his new sword can extend and turn into a type of whip blade. Jaune picked up his old blade and strapped it to his leg just in case anything happened and he needed it.

Stepping out of his room, jaune was met by a white haired female who didn't seem happy with him. The white haired female crossed her arms "we're gonna be late if we don't leave now" jaune rolled eyes "Weiss I'm ten minutes early, we'll be fine". Weiss glared jaune down "my sister always expects us to be there before she arrives" jaune raised his hands in a mock surrender "you know we're wasting time here right"? Weiss wanted to tell him off but he unfortunately was right so she turned and left for the training room.

They arrived at the training room to find Winter with her arms crossed and impatiently tapping her foot. "There had better be a good reason why your late" winter asked, jaune saw the perfect opportunity and acted on it "blame Weiss she kept talking about how great you are" weiss's jaw drop. Winter turned to her little sister "Weiss if you waste time like that you won't get better as a huntress" weiss's face turned red "sister that dunce is lying to you" Weiss blurted.

By the time Winter turned back to jaune, he was already gone. Walking the corridors by himself let jaune know for certain that he was being watched by the faculty, most likely under Ironwood's orders. Jaune looked over the device strapped to his wrist, it'd probably set off an alarm the moment he tampered with or took it off without permission. A prisoner disguised as a adopted son, that was laughable and that's exactly what he was.

Jaune made his way to Ironwood's office, a quick knock announced his arrival. Ironwood sat at his desk as jaune walked trough the door, sitting a little straighter Ironwood addressed the young man. "Jaune, this is a unexpected visit, did you need something"? Jaune was silent for a moment before stretching his arm out, Ironwood didn't see the point until jaune pulled his blade free and sliced the device off his wrist. Ironwood stood quickly and drew his weapon "what is the meaning of this" jaune ignored his question and aimed his sword at the General.

Jaune knew there was no escape when he was practically being held hostage by Atlas as a whole, so strategy was thrown out the window for a more headfirst approach. Ironwood aimed his gun at jaunes face "I don't know what your thinking but I'd surrender if I was you" jaune chuckled lightly "then I'm glad your not me". Jaune took the initiative and charged forward, bullets bounced off his sword as he deflected them to get closer to the General.

Once close enough, the blade cut through the space where the General's head used to be. Ironwood ducked under the first strike and lifted his arms to block a follow-up kick, grabbing jaunes ankle the General swung him into the nearby wall. The wall cracked as jaune slammed into it, pulling jaune once more the General slammed the boy into his desk snapping it in half before letting go. "Surrender now, I won't ask again" a click was heard before a gravity dust bullet was fired into Ironwood's chest, blasting the man to the ceiling.

Jaune pulled himself free from the broken desk as the General fell back down to the ground. Footsteps could be heard approaching the office and jaune knew his time was short. As the General got to his feet, jaune aimed the barrel of his gun behind him and fired another gravity bullet that launched him into Ironwood. Ironwood's eyes widened as jaune tackled him through the office window and out into the open air, freefalling to the ground.

Ironwood was really starting to regret giving jaune those new weapons, all because he had to look like a good father and this is what happens. Jaune and Ironwood used the same maneuver in using there gravity dust to slow their decent, the difference being that jaune used his blade to pull him away as they got closer to the buildings. Now a good distance away jaune pulled out the real prize, Ironwood's scroll that he nabbed from his pocket during the tackle.

Moving quickly to the docking bay, jaune ran into two unfortunate security Guard's that he quickly put down. Searching for the correct ride, jaune found a Atlas pilot droid in a bullhead cockpit. Jaune used the security bypass that watts had him memorize after he locked his scroll for the thousandth time, on Ironwood's scroll which granted him access to Ironwood's login credentials to the Atlas network.

Jaune activated all lock down protocols to keep the General and his lackeys busy while he made the droid fly him out of Atlas. There was no way to get back to cinder and vernal, not with the Atlas military on his tail and without his scroll he couldn't even contact anyone he knew thankfully it will erase it's self should anyone turn it on without their three fingers in the center screen. He couldn't head to mistral to get help from Leonardo or they might find a link to his mother and the bullhead would never make it to vacuo. Jaune dreaded what that meant, vale was the only place he could think of that would allow him to disappear but it meant getting close to his mother's worst enemy Ozpin.

Jaune took a minute to weigh his options and after a long deliberation the decision was made "fuck, looks like I'm headed to vale". Jaune set the droids destination to the outskirts of vale before disconnecting it's link to the Atlas mainframe so he couldn't be tracked.

/

A portal opened behind Ironwood and three individuals walked through only to be met with guns pointed at them "damn what happened here" Qrow asked? Ironwood waved his soldiers down "that little bastard jaune did this" Ironwood motioned to his office. Qrow, Raven and Saphron looked surprised "so where is he now" saphron asked the General "I don't know but when I find him I'm going to make sure he's locked away for good, law's be damned". After that the General left, Raven placed a hand on Saphron's shoulder "we'll find him someday don't worry" saphron looked over to Raven "I hope so"

**Missed by a few minutes Saphron.**


	14. Chapter 14: alone in vale

**Vale is the place I'd like for most of this story to take place mostly because it's been explored more thoroughly then anywhere else.**

Jaune had finally arrived after a few days and was desperate for regular food, eating those emergency military rations that were stored away on the bullhead was just disgusting. Besides food, jaune needed a bath so after carefully hiding the bullhead in the Emerald forest he set off to find a stream to clean off in. The forest was a beautiful place but the amount of wild Grimm that appeared was troubling especially when trying to clean up only to be attacked by a beowolf.

Now cleaned up and prepared, jaune took his time navigating through the forest. Killing a few Grimm here and there was easy but the real fun came when he hunted down a wild boar. The food was delicious and that was saying something for having no spices to use on the boar. Nightfall came before he could make it out of the forest so camp was essential, being out like this reminded jaune of the survival exercise his master put the three off them through. The three week survival training consisted of living in the forest filled with Grimm with only the minimum amount of equipment like two swords. Now that he thought about it that really sucked.

The next day jaune arrived at the wall but knew better than to use the front entrance so he'd have to make do with the sewer system. Finding the entrance to the sewer was easy and all he had to do to get in was cut through some metal bars. Jaune couldn't help but think that vale needed a better security system.

Traversing through sewage was not something he would wish on anyone but when it was over he could put it behind him forever. Once jaune made it to the surface the first thing that came to mind was another shower but he didn't have lien to pay for anything. Finding a blacksmith was easy and all he had to do was ask for directions, the man behind the desk was a dick but the lien jaune got for his old weapon was more than enough to make up for it.

Purchasing new clothes and renting a room in a motel allowed jaune to clean up and get rid of his old Atlesian clothing. Now sporting a white t-shirt, black jeans and a maroon hoodie, jaune knew what he had to do, after all what else could he do. Moving through the streets jaune found what he was looking for quite easily, a gangster in a red and black suit.

Jaune tailed the man back to his hideout and was shocked to see it was a night club. Swallowing what pride he had left jaune snuck his way passed security after causing a slight distraction. Asking what customers were there, who was in charge led him to the bar where a tall man with an impressive beard stood. The tall man eyed him for a good minute "I don't serve minors" jaune pulled his hood back "I'm not here for a drink, I was wondering if your little gang was looking for new blood".

The tall man pick up a cup to clean "I'm always in the market for good help but what can a kid like you offer me that I don't already have"? Truthfully jaune didn't have anything of value besides his strength, when a thought came to mind "my semblance is pretty useful" jaune said. The man nodded his head "you got a name kid"? "The names jaune and don't call me kid" the older man held his hand out for jaune to shake "you can call me Junior, everyone else does".

After introductions junior gave jaune the bad news "I'm gonna tell it to you straight kid, I don't use people who've got there auras unlocked". Jaune was shocked at that but junior continued "the good news is I know someone who does but there a little eccentric, if your ok with that I'll call them up". Jaune gave the ok and junior pulled out his scroll to make a call.

Junior placed a call to a unknown number and after a few rings the line was connected "Junior my old friend what's going on"? "I've got someone I need you to look into, you near your computer" the receiver confirmed that he was "good look up a kid named jaune, blonde hair and blue eye's, I'm also sending a picture. The receiver after a few minutes sent a folder filled with information on jaune, granted there wasn't much but it was enough. Sending the file through to another contact known as RT, junior waited for a reply but got a call instead. Junior picked up after the first ring "RT, did you look over the file I sent" RT hummed in confirmation "a kid that old and He's already escaping atlas, sounds like someone I should know.

"I could set up a room for you here if you want to check the kid out first" RT thought about it "treat the kid well, I'll be there shortly". Junior ended the call and rejoined jaune at the bar "he's coming here to meet you but it'll have to be a private meeting so I'll have my girls take you to another room". Junior motioned to two girls who were off to the side, jaune eyes followed juniors to see two girls who were twins. "These are the Malachite sisters Miltia and Melanie, they'll take care of you until RT gets here" junior turned to the twins "keep him in one piece for RT".

The private room jaune was led to was pretty grand despite it being in a night club. A pool table, a mini bar and two couches sat facing each other with a table in the middle. Jaune took a seat on the couch but didn't let his guard down, especially since the two girls accompanying him just stood and watched him like a hawk.

The time spent in the room went by slowly and had jaune nearly falling a sleep. The twins seemed to be discussing something for a few minutes before deciding to sit across from him. Miltia spoke first "you must be special if junior called RT in for you" Melanie quickly followed up "not to mention RT's willingness to meet you already". The question of who RT is was answered by the door when a strange man walked in with a cane "come now ladies, this is what junior offers as hospitality, an interrogation"?

The strange man was followed by a small girl with a parasol and multi color hair of pink and brown. A quick wave of his hand signalled for the Malachites to leave the room which they did quickly. "I hear your looking for work kid" jaune nodded to the man "good because I have a few jobs in the works that require uniquely talented individuals such as yourself". RT sat in the now vacant couch but the little girl sat beside jaune, her smile never leaving her face.

"Before we begin I'll tell you now, you are to listen only, say one word and the jobs gone understand" jaune nodded "good boy". "First introductions are in order, the incredibly handsome man before you is none other than I Roman Torchwick" the small girl began clapping her hands together excitedly. "Then we have my lovely assistant Neopolitan or neo for short" the little girl stood up and gave a slight bow before taking her seat again. Roman pulled a cigar from his jacket, quickly lit it and took a few drags "now just like you I've got others who are looking for work as well so there's going to be a little initiation that your going to take part in".

A few more puffs "just because you've got a semblance doesn't mean your useful" neo appeared by Romans side with an ashtray. "Thanks" Roman dropped his ashes in the tray "I've arranged for junior to give you the basic equipment that any thug would use, after all we wouldn't want Atlas to find out your here". Roman got to his feet and headed towards the door "be here tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp and we'll see if you've got what it takes to be a part of my crew" Roman tipped his hat before leaving while neo blew jaune a kiss before vanishing out the door.

Jaune let a sigh slip past his lips, eccentric didn't even describe Roman or his little assistant but at least he'd have a shot to make some lien and that's what mattered.

**It's the weekend and there are too many games I need to finish but at least I finished this chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15: the job

**Originally this story wasn't supposed to be this long. When I first started I was more or less going for maybe ten chapters with a lot of time skips since it's my first story.**

The equipment jaune had received from junior also came with new clothes that matched juniors gangs colors of black and red. Now suited up for the big day ahead, jaune strapped the pistol to his holster and placed the regular combat knife to his thigh before heading to juniors. The bouncer saw jaune approaching and directed him to the side entrance. Once inside, two of juniors men led him to the bosses office in the back of the night club where neo was waiting with junior and the malachite twins.

"Glad you could make it jaune" jaune gave a two fingered salute to junior "I thought Roman was supposed to be here"? Junior shook his head "Romans busy but that's why she's here" neo waved to jaune "Roman put her in charge of the initiation which means as of right now she's your boss". Some part of jaune was worried about taking orders from a girl who looked like she should still be in preschool but then again he was twelve and had already killed several people so maybe she was the same.

Neo hopped of the desk, waved good bye to junior and snapped her fingers at jaune letting him know to follow her as she left out the door. As they walked out the club jaune spoke first "so, what am I going to be doing" neo spun around and walked backwards. The little girl opened her mouth and pointed a finger at her throat, it took jaune a moment before he realized that neo was a mute and couldn't talk. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know I swear" neo just shrugged and waved it off like it was no big deal.

As they continued passed a few blocks neo made a few hand gestures to jaune which he really didn't understand. Neo let out a sigh and tried again but this time slower in the hopes he would understand but when he just stared at her like she was crazy she stomped one foot and puffed out her cheeks in anger. Jaune stuck up his hands in a mock surrender "I'm sorry I just don't get it" neo thought about it before pointing at him, then she pretended to be a old person before switching to a baby.

"Oh your wondering how old I am" neo gave him a thumbs up "I'm twelve, what about you" neo waved her finger at him like she was scolding him "yeah I forgot it's impolite to ask a lady that". Neo place a hand to her cheek and waved the other like she was given a complement that made her embarrassed. Arriving at their destination, jaune saw five other people, three women and two men waiting for them in a nearby alleyway.

Neo pulled out her scroll and clicked on the first contact in her list. The six including jaune looked at the small scroll neo held out until a face they all knew appeared. Roman took a few puffs from his cigar and let out a content sigh before turning to his audience "welcome to your initiation and let me tell you it's gonna be a spectacular event for you all". "The gist of the situation is this, I have a loyal friend who has a problem and I've decided that you all are the answer to this problem". A few puffs later "some upstarts have appeared and pushed out juniors men from a local warehouse and that's not good for business if people think they can walk in a take what they want".

Roman looked at a pocket watch "it's nine o'clock now, you got till eleven to clean the place out, oh I should tell you the new boss there was a beacon dropout so the person who brings him down has an automatic in to my crew". One of the women stepped forward quickly "some of us don't have aura, are you expecting us to fight them and win"? Roman chuckle lightly "I'm only accepting two so if you can't beat the boss then all you gotta do is impress neo and if you can't, well better luck next time". "Now if all parties are ready, neo be a dear and point them in the right direction" Romans face vanished as the scroll shut off.

Neo led the six out of the alleyway and down the street until they came to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Jaune noticed as they made there way to the entrance that there were guards on the roof and in front of the doors but nobody seemed to notice their approach. Neo tapped his shoulder which caused him to turn to her, a quick wave and she vanished and that's when hell broke loose.

The Guard's that couldn't see them before did a double take in there directions before drawing their weapons. "Get down" jaune yelled but unfortunately some of there group didn't have time to move before they were shot down. Since they were out in the open, there was little else they could do except to charge the front entrance. Only two besides jaune had auras which meant the other three died before they even had a chance to defend themselves.

Jaune used his semblance to reinforce the other two with him as they bum rushed the Guard's at the entrance. The guards fell quickly but now that the alarm was rung, the three found themselves completely surrounded. "Doesn't Roman think this is a little too much for an initiation" the last girl in there group asked. Seeing people come out from the building meant there was a lot more then they were led to believe "guys I need your names so we can work together easier" jaune yelled. The guy and girl quickly replied "Rachel", "Dexter" jaune nodded in there directions "names jaune, stick close and I can boost your auras so you don't die" the two got ready to fight as did jaune.

The melee fighters soon learned why they shouldn't have charged in without thinking especially when they didn't have auras. Dexter blocked a straight before grabbing the random man and pulling him in to drive his knee into the guys crotch, once down Dexter drew a red machete and went to town chopping the guys head off executioner style before turning on the next victim. Rachel kept her back to Dexter so she could focus on shooting the people in front of her with double hand pistols, her shots landed on one of two targets and that was either the head or the heart. While they stood back to back, Jaune cut down the ones that got too close to Rachel when she had to reload.

A few minutes of hard combat, left the grounds of the warehouse littered with dead bodies and blood stains. Jaune pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and began to rub the blood off his face when he heard a pained "GUHH". Turning to the source of the noise, jaune watched Dexter fly over him with blood spraying from his chest. Rachel ran passed Jaune to Dexter "no no" she cried as she tried to stop the bleeding "it's ok bae, your gonna be ok" the blood wasn't stopping and at the rate he was losing blood he wouldn't live for very long. Jaune turned to the woman who caused Dexters injury.

The woman had a double sided axe with a dust crystal in the center, the fact she took out Dexter so quickly meant one thing, this was the boss. Jaune backed up until he was next to Dexter but never turned away from his enemy. Using his semblance on Dexter caused the wound on his chest to close rapidly, Rachel stared at the closing wound until it was completely healed. Dexter sat up quickly and began to feel his chest "what the hell I thought I was dead" before he could think Rachel hugged him tightly and cried.

Jaune knew he'd have to ask how long they've been together but first they had to deal with this girl first "I don't mean to interrupt your moment but we're not done here yet". Rachel and Dexter got to there feet ready to fight. The axe lady charged at Jaune ready to cut him down when Dexter charged in and used his machete to redirect her attack to the right leaving her left side open. Jaune moved in quickly taking his combat knife and driving it into the axe ladies side before she could react.

The axe lady jumped back but before she could recuperate a bullet found it's way into her eye courtacy of Rachel's sharpshooting. As the axe lady reeled in pain the two males of the group rushed forward with Jaune aiming high while Dexter went low. Dexter slashed her kneecaps and jaune slashed her face causing the axe lady to fall to over in pain. The axe lady mecashifted her axe into a partisan and with it's new found reach she tried to push them back in one swipe but jaune dodged the attack and got in close.

The ladies weapon was good but it's biggest weakness was that it did poorly against someone who got in close. Jaunes attack mercilessly, cutting into every part of the axe lady that he could, as quickly as he could muster. The lady tried to put some distance between herself and jaune but as soon as she moved jaune followed up closely. Jaune kept her so occupied that she didn't notice when Dexter had circled around her. Rushing forward, Dexter shoved the machete through the axe ladies back, instead of backing away from the blood splattering towards him jaune rushed forward and shoved his combat knife through the axe ladies head delivering the final blow.

Watching the axe ladies body crumple to the floor had Jaune sighing in relief and Dexter falling on his ass from exhaustion. Rachel ran to Dexters side to make sure he was alright, now that the fighting was done Jaune had time to ask "so how long have you two been together"? Dexter looked to Rachel before answering "going on three years now and planning to get married soon". Jaune nodded to the man "so why take such a dangerous job and potentially ruin your plans"? Rachel answered quickly "working for Roman guarantees us more lien and if we really are going to start a family together there's no better opportunity than this one since we don't have the educational degrees to do anything else".

Money for a better life, it sounded exactly like what he was doing himself but he had to ask "why don't you have a better education"? Dexter let out a sigh cause clearly he didn't want to answer but did so anyways "we used to live in a frontier village outside the walls but ever since the bandits and the Grimm, all records of what we accomplished were lost". "Trying to get certified for anything in the city is next to impossible unless you've got the lien for it or any documents proving you could do the job".

Jaune could understand the decision but it was unfortunate that there was three people and only two job openings. As if by magic neo and Roman appeared before them out of thin air "I'm glad a kept the cops busy or this would be all over the evening news by tomorrow" Roman said happily. "Congratulations on passing the test Jaune and Rachel you've both been accepted for the big league" Roman turned to Dexter "better luck next time" before Roman could continued jaune cut in. "Thanks for the offer Roman but I think I'll look for a job a little less...bloody" Roman took a moment to allow the rejection to sink in.

Roman turned to jaune "I'd think carefully now if I was you, the world isn't filled with so much opportunity that you could find something as good as what I'm offering". Jaune smiled "I'm good but I appreciate the offer" Roman shrugged his shoulder before turning back to Dexter "looks like your in after all". Dexter and Rachel got to there feet and walked over to Roman "neo it's time to go" Roman looked back to jaune "see ya kid" with that the four of them vanished leaving jaune at the warehouse alone.

**The end of a new chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16: The Plan for the future

**Feels like I've been away for some time now.**

A few days had gone by after the initation and jaune had begun to think that maybe Roman might have had a point. Scrapping by on the lien he had gathered by selling the weapons of those dead gang members didn't last long, hell even the huntsmen weapon had to be sold. A day at most was all the lien he currently had would last him, maybe two if he really stretched it.

Deciding to leave vale for a frontier village was probably the best idea which was why he was sitting at the bar in juniors club. "Damn kid you look like shit" jaune glared at junior but decided it was best not to retaliate, best not to mess up the only good connection he had really. "Yeah things have been rough lately, anyways just give me a drink already" junior crossed his arms "I don't serve minors alcohol" jaune let out a sigh "you know you do serve things like soda right"?

Junior hid his embarrassment in a cough before turning around, he pulled a glass bottle out of the mini fridge and gave it to jaune. "Thanks" junior watched the kid guzzle his drink "so what's your plan now" jaune placed the drink down and wiped his mouth before answering "probably just gonna head out of vale". Junior wasn't that surprised seeing how the kid was pretty much living on the streets nowadays.

Juniors eyes traveled to the man who was walking towards them. Sitting in the stool next to jaune was a man with dark blonde hair and brown eyes "so this is where you been hiding at"? Jaune turned to the man next to him, after a few seconds of thinking about it, jaune remembered who it was "Dexter"? The man laughed at jaunes surprised expression "it's only been a few days kid, can't believe you forgot me already".

Jaune shook his head "sorry but your not in juniors suit anymore plus I was pretty sure I wouldn't be seeing you around since you work for RT now". Dexter could understand why that would be "I'm actually here because of what you did for me and Rachel that day" jaune waved his hand to let him know it was no big deal. "Rachel agrees with me on this, we need to pay you back for not only saving my life but also giving me the chance to work for Torchwick" Dexter said.

"Let us help you like you helped us by giving you a place to stay until you can make it on your own" jaune just stared at Dexter like he grew another head. Junior broke the silence "so your trying to adopt him or something" Dexter couldn't help but laugh "naw I'm too young for that but I was thinking he could be a little brother". Dexters offer seemed too go to be true and that's what had him on edge "is there some kind of condition for this offer"? Dexter rubbed the back of his hair nervously "yeah" he paused for a moment "it's nothing big but you'll need to keep someone entertained during the day for a bit"

Jaune wanted to just say no but the idea of food, shelter and possibly a better future than the one he currently had was very tempting. "Alright who exactly am I supposed to keep entertained" Dexter pointed past jaune, there in the seat on jaunes left sat neo, who had stolen the rest of jaunes drink without him knowing. Neo placed the now empty bottle back on the bar before belching like a heavy drinker.

Realizing that junior, jaune and Dexter were all watching her now was definitely embarrassing but neo did what she normally did and waved happily. Jaune couldn't believe this crap, turning back to Dexter, jaune gave him the honest truth "sorry but staying with that thing is a deal breaker". Dexter wasn't expecting that at all but he could understand why spending time with neo would be a bad thing since her first impression nearly got them killed.

Neo crossed her arms and glared at jaune for calling her a thing. Ignoring the tiny threat next to him, jaune turned to junior "I need another drink" junior chuckled lightly while he fetched another bottle of soda. Placing the bottle in front of jaune, junior had an idea that could prove beneficial to the kid and would let him help out Dexter. "Jaune I think you should accept Dexters proposal" jaune raised a brow to juniors suggestions "just hear me out kid" junior pressed. "It's not like you have to spend all your time with the tiny demon" neo puffed her cheeks in anger "all you got to do is find a way to limit your time and I think I got the solution to that and your future problem of lien".

Despite his initial refusal to Dexters proposal, junior had him interested in this plan. "This sounds good, what do I need to do" jaune asked eagerly "go to school" junior said proudly while jaune deflated at the suggestion. Junior laughed at jaunes reaction "I'm not talking about regular school kid, I meant huntsmen school" jaune perked up quickly "that's perfect" jaune said happily. "I'm almost thirteen which means soon I'll be able to enroll and after that I could join a huntsmen academy" jaune had never thought about it before but this was the perfect profession for him.

Junior nodded sagely at his own ingenious idea "it gets better kid". Jaune was confused on how it could be better so junior filled him in "once you join a huntsmen academy you'll be living in a dorm so naturally you won't have to deal with her" junior pointed his thumb at neo. Neo froze a short distance from stealing jaunes other bottle of soda, jaune took in the scene before bopping the tiny girl on the head. Taking the bottle in his hand jaune protected it as he drank away.

Dexter liked the idea but there was a few problems with it "we're going to need a new ID for you first" junior waved the concern away "it'll be easy to make one as long as the kid promises to carry the bags for the malachites on there next shopping trip". Jaune agreed "ok we also gotta figure out what school your going to go to" Dexter said. "There's one close by called pharos academy" junior suggested, that got Dexter and jaune pumped even more for this plan.

Once all the problems were ironed out jaune, Dexter and neo departed the club for Dexters home.

The house wasn't very big but it was decent enough for maybe four people, luckily you could squashed two people in one bedroom room if they needed. Jaune was led to a separate room "this will be your room for now" Dexter said before flipping the light switch on for him. The room had a simple bed with a rug on the floor, in other words it was basic living style. Neo moved passed the two of them and plopped herself down on the bed "school just can't come fast enough" jaune groaned.

As he predicted, the days leading up to his enrollment day were filled with near death experiences via neo and intense physical training via the twins and their shopping.

The day of his first official day at pharos hadn't even begun because neo did her best to stop him from going. Jaune now thirteen, dragged the tiny neo across the house because she wouldn't let go of his leg. "Neo I'm not gonna be gone forever I promise" neo looked up at him teary eyed but jaune dismissed it since he knew she was faking it. After quickly untangling her from his leg, jaune sped off to school leaving neo behind.

Now with no one to keep her busy, neo didn't know what to do anymore. Torchwick wouldn't let her join any of his heists cause she was his secret weapon and because there was no real reason to get her involved. Training was boring without anyone to really challenge her and the twins were doing there own thing which was why she now slumped over the bar in juniors club. Junior let a sigh slip "look if your this pathetic now that the kid is gone, I really don't want to see ya when he leaves and moves to the dorm for good".

Neo forgot that jaune would never come back once he turned seventeen and left for good to be a huntsmen. Once realizations struck, neo hopped off the stool and began making gestures to junior "you've got to be kidding" junior said but the look on neo's face said that she was serious. Juniors hand connected to his face "Romans gonna kill me".

**And that's a wrap on this chapter. I magically got stuck with a puppy and she's demanded most of my attention lately.**


	17. Chapter 17: intersecting fates

**There was someone who reviewed my last chapter and said something that nearly spoiled this chapter. Bravo crimson11116**

Junior finished cleaning a few glasses when a customer sat on the stool in front of him "what can I get" junior froze when he looked at the older man. "I take it you know why I'm here" the older man said, junior nodded "good, now tell me how my young pupil has been". Junior leaned against the bar "jaunes doing well for himself, plans to be a huntsmen but for what reason is still a mystery to me" the older man smiled at the news.

"Good to know" the older man placed a few lien on the table before getting up to leave when junior stopped him "hey you've been coming around a bit, the least you could do is give me your name". The older man regarded junior for a moment "it's better I don't tell you, that way jaune won't know I've been here" the old man turned and left the bar.

Outside the wall in the emerald forest two figures waited patiently for there third member to return. When the older man returned the two figures approached him "master is jaune doing as you instructed"? The older man shook his head "it appears I didn't even have to contact him since he's already trying to be a huntsmen". The old man patted one of the figures on the shoulder "cinder when the time comes jaune will return to us" cinder nodded "I guess you don't need to worry so much vernal".

Vernal gave cinder the finger before turning to their master "how long before we're able to take down Beacon"? Alec shook his head "not for a while but in the meantime we'll leave jaune to his studies while we handle are other objectives". Vernal and cinder looked kinda worried but Alec assured them that everything would be alright. "What are we going to tell salem? You know how she's been as of late" vernal shuddered at cinders words "I'll talk to her" Alec said as he boarded there bullhead.

The ride back to the castle was as quiet as a funeral and to Alec it felt quite fitting since he would have to explain to Salem why he didn't bring back jaune as ordered. Once the bullhead landed at the dock, Alec sped off through the castle to Salems room where watts stood outside of with a plate of empty dishes. "How is she" Alec asked as he came to a halt in front of the doors "about as well as you could expect unless you've brought the boy this time". Alec sighed loudly "you know why I didn't the first time" watts nodded "of course, but try explaining that to are mistress and see if you come out alive".

Alec took a deep breath and prepared himself as he knocked on the door "Salem I've returned". A few moments past before the doors opened to reveal a pitch black room filled with dark smoke "I don't see my son with you" the words came like a hiss from a snake. Alec gulped "we've yet to locate him in vale but a few informants have told us that he's enrolled at a school there" red eye's peered through the darkness. The sound of footsteps were heard before Salem walked out of the darkness, her body once pure white now had several black marks that seemed to grow with her anger.

"If your so sure that he's there then why did you come back without him" Salem asked as she placed a hand on Alec's chest. Fear flooded his body as black tentacles sprouted from the veins on Salems arms. "Are movements are limited because of where he is, if we moved recklessly it would only draw Ozpins gaze to jaune which would place him in even greater danger" Alec explained quickly. The tentacles receded as Salem thought on Alec's words "you could have at least had him contact us". Alec shook his head "right now there's no proof that he has anything to do with us but if he starts acting suspiciously it will only draw attention".

Salem stared at the ground for a long moment "I see" Alec took a stepped back "madam I swear you will see him again" Salem didn't respond instead she returned to her room and closed the door. Alec knew how special jaune was to his mistress after all she did refer to him as her son ever since his disappearance nearly a year ago. Alec headed to the dinning hall where cinder and vernal were waiting for his arrival "how'd it go" vernal asked as Alec walked through the door. "I'd say horribly but since I'm alive I'm gonna go with better than expected" cinder crossed her arms and glared at her master "we should have just brought him back with us".

Alec gave cinder a stern look "I know your worried about him but for are plan to succeed we need him to get into Beacon". "What if he decides not to go there" cinder asked "don't worry about that I've got a plan in place for that just in case" Alec assured her. "All we need now is to get Salem back to her old self and then are ambitions can be realized" Alec proudly proclaimed. Watts stepped forward "I know Salems priorities have changed as of late but are you certain this is for the best because I'm not sure we would survive the repercussions if this fails.

"It'll be fine as long as Salem never learns of why we are really doing this, not until the time is right" watts nodded at Alec's words. Despite the words their master gave, both cinder and vernal felt uneasy about the idea. "So what do we do now" vernal asked, Alec already knew what was next "we begin recruiting for the task ahead".

/

Ozpin took a sip from his mug while waiting for summer to settle down "you can't tell Ironwood that he's here or he'd blow this whole thing out of proportion". Summer began to pace again for a few minutes before turning to Ozpin "do you think we should talk to him, I'm sure Saphron would want to meet her little brother". The fact that summer accidentally bumped into jaune out in the streets while she was on her way here, was an enormous stroke of good luck on there part.

"I think it's best if we don't interfere just yet" summer made to object but Ozpin spoke first "we don't know his true intentions yet which is why I'm worried if we approach him out of nowhere he might run". She didn't like it but the boy had done a lot in Atlas "what should we do then" summer asked. "He has a few years before he moves up to a huntsmen academy, in that time I'd like to monitor his daily life" summer nodded "just make sure you don't go as far as Ironwood".

"Have no fear, I'd rather have the boy act as natural as possible so I can get a better read on him" Ozpin said as he took another sip from his mug. "Come let's talk about less pressing issues, like how saphron enrolled in shade academy instead of Beacon" summer couldn't help but roll her eye's. "It was her choice" Ozpin still didn't like it "she said the harsh desert would be better for her training, I think she gets it from Raven personally" said summer, that was something they could all agree on.

/

The day started out promising with no neo in site and meeting a very nice lady with a white cloak. He should have known it wouldn't last, the teacher introduced the new student who enrolled a day late for school "this is neo politan and she'll be joining us starting today". Neo looked around the room until she found jaune, a vicious grin spread across her face as she waved at him. Knowing there would be no escape from this situation, jaune did the only sensible thing to do and that was pretend he didn't see her.

**Let the reviews begin - said in my best frieza voice from dbs**


	18. Chapter 18: surprise punishment

**Welp we're going back to jaune now, I mean this is his story after all but don't worry cause we'll be seeing more of other people later I promise.**

Chaos, that was the only way she could describe the unfortunate events that had taken root in her class. Jaune the bright young man who stood at the top of her class and the late arrival neo the most troubled child she ever met were now engaged in there usually duel for supremacy. The class became a war zone as neo hopped from desk to desk effectively dodging the notebooks jaune launched to take her down.

Their teacher ms Jones excused herself and left the room to get reinforcements. While the teacher was away neo got to play, front flipping, cartwheeling and backflipping out of the way of jaunes attacks. "Neo cut the crap and give me back my lunch" jaune yelled out only to receive neo's trade mark smirk, at that moment jaune gave up using projectiles and gave chase.

The rest of the students backed away to the walls so they wouldn't be caught in the middle of there fight. Their training was put to the test as both jaune and neo moved over the desks at surprising speeds without knocking anything over. Neo stopped on the desk near the entrance to the room and backflipped over jaune as he tried to grab her. Jaune had gotten so used to neo's movements that he used the grapple as a feint before spinning in place and leg swept her as soon as she landed.

Neo was so surprised by jaunes maneuver that she couldn't stop herself from falling over only for jaune to catch her by her wrist. A smile spread over her face knowing she wasn't going to fall but jaune had other plans. Quickly taking his lunch back from the mini demon, jaune let neo's wrist go and watched her plunge to the floor.

Jaune couldn't help but find amusement at neo's facial expression as it changed from happy, to shocked and finally to fear before she hit the floor. Hopping off the desk, jaune decided to give a helping hand to his partner in crime so he dragged neo by her leg back to there desk. Neo got up and sat in her seat after a few minutes of being left on the floor to sulk from being treated so harshly.

Seeing that neo wasn't about to forgive him anytime soon, jaune grabbed some spaghetti with his fork and held it out to her. Neo stared at the food for a long moment before opening her mouth so jaune could feed her. To everyone else it might have seemed cute but truthfully if he didn't do this she'd make the rest of his day a living hell.

Ms Jones returned moments later with two girls from the upper class years. "Jaune, neo I'd like the two of you to come here please" neo tried to ignore the teacher but jaune wouldn't let her. The two girls that arrived with the teacher watched as jaune hoisted the small girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before making his way to them.

"Is there something we can do for you ms Jones" jaune asked politely. Ms Jones waited till jaune placed neo on her feet before answering "actually I've spoken with some of the staff about both of your capabilities and we decided to nominate both of you for the sister academy transfer". Jaune was a little confused since he never heard about this sister transfer before "what do we gotta do for this sister transfer"? Ms Jones smile grew wider "nothing much really, the transfer is only temporary and you'll be staying for about one week at most at are sister academy on patch".

Neo and jaune exchanged nervous glances "I'm pretty sure my brother doesn't have the lien for something like that". "That's just fine, the expenses are covered by the academy and the four of you will be supervised by a trained huntsmen from their school plus I've already cleared it with your brother so it's all settled" Ms Jones said happily. For some reason jaune got the odd feeling he was being punished for something "okay, you said us four so I'm assuming their the other two"? "That's right, these two were also chosen for this great privilege" the two girls stepped forward but the girl with the sunglasses took the lead "names Coco Adel, trust me you won't forget".

There was a bit of overconfidence oozing from her but maybe she had the skill to back it up. Coco looked jaune over quickly before turning to neo, taking a moment to look neo up and down, a pleased expression formed on Coco's face. "Well aren't you the cutest thing I've seen today" neo's shock left her open as Coco placed her thumb on neo's chin and her index finger just below so she could lift neo's face up. Neo regained her senses and quickly pulled away from Coco before grabbing jaune and used him as a meat shield to keep Coco away.

Coco chuckle softly "I love it when they play hard to get, it just makes the game so much more fun when I win" she said, never once taking her eye's off of neo. Jaune ignored neo's hissing and focused on the last girl who hadn't introduced herself yet "I-I'm Velvet S-Scarlatina" the rabbit faunus said nervously. A cute, nervous bunny girl, jaune turned his face away slightly to hide the slight blush that colored his cheeks "nice to meet you ". Coco lowered her glasses slightly, jaunes reaction didn't escape her notice and neither did neo's.

Ms Jones clapped her hands together, bringing their attention back to her "I hope you all get along well because the four of you will be staying with a personal friend of Beacons headmaster". That caught jaunes attention "if you don't mind me asking, how come we can't just stay at a local in"? "The budget for the exchange is not so big that we could do much but this also helps keep relationships strong between the two schools" Ms Jones replied.

"So who's the huntsmen we're gonna be stayin with teach" asked Coco, Ms Jones put a finger to her chin while she thought "I think it was someone named rose". It was very little to go on but jaune would make the most of it and he'd probably find something good if he asked junior. "Anyways since you've all done so well for half the year already and shown such promise, the school has decided to let you off today to pack and prepare for the trip in two days time" jaune, neo,velvet and coco all nodded to each other before leaving for their homes.

Once the children were gone, Ms Jones deflated with a heavy sigh "thank you for the teachers one saving grace pharos academy" she whispered to herself before resuming to teach the class.

/

**White fang main headquarters**

"Your sure this is the same person who disrupted are plans to eliminate Jacque schnee"? A tall cloaked faunus bowed "I'm one hundred percent sure this is the person we've been searching for high leader Khan". Sienna leaned back in her throne and smirked at the picture of a young blond haired, blue eyed boy "the most wanted child in Atlas".

"See to it that Adam is sent to retrieve this boy for the white fang" the cloaked faunus look up to the high leader "retrieve, are we not going to make an example of him"? Sienna turned from the picture to regard the faunus "I'd like nothing more than to torment that foolish child but he's someone who's put Atlas on the backfoot". Sienna handed the photo to the cloaked faunus "skills like his are better served under the might of the fang" the cloaked faunus bowed once more before departing.

She didn't like the idea of working with a human but then again he'd be at her mercy until the end of his miserable life and that brought a smile to her face.

/

**The mines outside of mantle**

Adams hand tightened on his sword "finally after all this time I'll be able to get my revenge". Blake watched Adam with a worried expression "you shouldn't be so glad for a fight" Blake said. Adam grunted before heading for his room only to stop in front of the door "Blake I want you to come with me, your the one person I trust to have my back more than anyone else".

Blake stared at Adams back for a few seconds "Alright but we're bringing illia as well" Adam grumbled something to low to hear but he agreed. Now alone, Blake pulled a book from behind her back, a new favorite series she only just started and she had to say, there was some really steamy parts that she just couldn't ignore.

**To answer the question about the jaunes first mission...yeah that was pretty much a failure the moment he got caught by Irondick, I mean wood, Ironwood**


	19. Chapter 19: start of a bigger problem

**All I can say is that there will be some people getting together later in the story. I won't put any pairings because it ruins the mystery of who gets with who, plus as of right know everyone is too young for any kind of real relationship. I'd also like to address the whole touching someone's face thing with a simple (it's anime logic).**

Qrow waited patiently at the docks with yang and by patiently that meant he was pacing back and forth like a worried mother. Yang ignored her uncle and focused on the incoming boat that held the four students she would be going to class with. Once the boat docked, three individuals quickly disembarked and made their way over to them with their luggage trailing just behind them. Qrow cocked his head to the side "I thought pharos academy was sending four kids, not two and a half".

Neo glared at Qrow for his jab at her height while Coco looked back to the boat "oh are fourth is here but he's a little sick from the boat ride". Yang just couldn't help but laugh "if he's that weak he might as well not even bother trying to become a huntsmen". Neo aimed her parasol at yang "I'd be careful of how you talk about neo's boy toy, that's unless your trying to pick a fight with pharoses tiny demon" Coco chuckle as neo aimed her parasol at Coco's face.

Velvet ignored the four of them and decided jaune might actually need some help, placing her bags down, she ran back onboard the boat. Several minutes passed before velvet returned with jaune draped over her shoulder like he was hungover. Yangs eye's widened at the site of the blonde headed boy, she pulled on Qrow's sleeve to get his attention "uncle Qrow doesn't he look just like Saphron's dad from that picture you have".

Qrow's eye's trailed from his niece to the young man who was blushing profusely as the rabbit faunus fussed over him. There was no mistaking that face, Qrow's eye's drifted to his scroll as the screen came to life revealing a file given to him by Ironwood. The file contained the DNA test between jaune and Saphron, blood that was easily taken when Ironwood knocked the kid unconscious.

Neo noticed jaunes reaction once more but unlike last time she moved quickly, putting herself between jaune and velvet. Velvet was a little taken aback by neo's animosity, jaune on the other hand just let out a sigh before gently patting neo's head. "I didn't mean to cause any problems" jaune smiled softly at velvet "don't worry, neo's not good at interacting with people". Placing both hands on neo's shoulders, jaune pushed her towards velvet "try to at least be friendly with the people we'll be staying with".

After a great deal of reluctance and much prodding from jaune, neo gave in and shook hands with velvet. "Are you guys done yet or do you wanna hug next" yang asked "come on we'll show you where your gonna be stayin". Yang and Qrow led them away down through the town and out into the dirt road, the trail wasn't very long and two houses came into view. Qrow turned to his guests "I'll tell you right now that there are two rules to follow so listen up".

"One, you will be polite to my wife and daughter unless you want to sleep outside and no that's not a joke". "Finally, whatever you do don't piss of my sister, trust me when I say she will have no problems with cutting you down" said Qrow. The rules were simple for the kids to remember, the only problem now was making sure neo didn't try anything but knowing her, well they'd keep an eye on her.

Qrow opened the front door and was hit by a red blur but after years as a huntsmen and even more years as a father, he knew how to adjust. Spinning on the spot allowed Qrow to bleed off the force and momentum the tiny girl in his arms generated. "Woah there ruby what's the rush" ruby pulled her head out of her father's chest "auntie Raven said she was going to bring Saphron here" she said happily. Yang felt pumped after hearing big sis Saph was coming back "man, mom should have told me" yang smashed her fists together "can't wait to show Saph how strong I've gotten.

Jaune, neo, velvet and Coco looked amongst each other, completely confused about what was happening. Qrow placed ruby on the floor before motioning to them "ruby these are the kids who are gonna be staying with us for a little bit". Once ruby noticed them she quickly hid behind Qrow's leg "ruby, this is jaune, neo, velvet and Coco, their kids sent from pharos academy, who are training to be huntsmen and huntresses like yang and Saphron".

Ruby peeked out from behind Qrow's leg to get a look at the four of them "hi" she squeaked out. Neo didn't seem to care about the situation as per norm while velvet seemed even more nervous than ruby. Coco was paying more attention to velvet and was trying to encourage her to speak up which left him as the only person to greet the young girl. "Sorry about the others, they tend to get caught up in their own problems" jaune held out his hand to the young girl "it's nice to meet you too ruby".

The small girl stared at jaunes hand like it was a poisonous snake which made jaune think of retracting it but before he did the small girl reached out and grabbed his hand. Qrow rubbed ruby's head "where's mom at" the little girl looked up to him "mom said she was baking some snacks for the guests arrival". "Alright let's go find her then" ruby nodded to Qrow before zipping off in a burst of rose petals. Yang nudged jaune with her elbow "thanks for that" jaune raised a brow "for what" yang motioned to the direction ruby left "she's pretty shy so it must have taken a lot of courage to even say hi to a stranger".

A few minutes later, ruby returned with a woman who looked exactly like her only older. "Alright kids, this is my wife Summer rose" summer smiled and waved to each of them. Introductions went as normal before they were shown to the guest room "this isn't going to work" jaune said. The remaining three also agreed with jaunes assessment of the situation. The room had two beds which meant someone was going to be sleeping in the same bed as him, Coco placed a hand on his shoulder "I'll take neo" she said. Neo's reaction was about what he expected, a whole lot of hissing and promises of death with dramatic hand motions.

"How about we try not to cause a scene that could get us kicked out of the house" Coco shrugged her shoulders at jaune "Neo will take this bed while you and velvet take the other one". Coco pulled her glasses down slightly "what about you"? "I'm taking the couch cause I'd rather avoid having to deal with any this" jaune said as he motioned to his surroundings. Neo tugged on his arm to get his attention "I'm not changing my mind" neo's eye's turned watery "I will not be swayed" neo's eye's turned serious as a very evil grin spread over her face.

Later that night at eleven, jaune became the very thing he tried to avoid, a body pillow. Jaune gritted his teeth as neo made herself more comfortable by pushing her knees into the center of his back. This was why he always refused to gamble with neo, because unfortunately she always knew how to win. Once jaune was sure that neo was asleep he made his way out of the room and to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Looking up at the window, jaune noticed the tree's moving because of the wind.

Once he put the glass of empty water into the sink he turned to see the forest again only to see a white face staring back at him. Jaune rubbed his eyes before looking once more but the white face had vanished like it was never there. After a few minutes of silence, jaune was convicted it was his imagination running wild because he was tired "time for some shut eye" he whisper to himself.

/

Blake rejoined Adam and the rest of the white fang group "seems that Intel you got was pretty good" Blake said. Adam couldn't hold back his smile "Finally we found him" he said happily "we'll take him down when he's alone but until then we'll try not to draw any attention to us". Blake agreed with his decision even if she didn't think any of this would help the cause they fought for. After reporting in, Blake took her leave and left for her tent to rest.

Adam remained in front of the camp, starring out into the distance "just a little bit longer" he whispered into the night.

**It's Friday! Have a good weekend to everyone reading this.**


	20. Chapter 20: the truth is told

**Finished finally**

Getting in to shade academy a year earlier than normal was not all that it was cracked up to be. Saphron scribbled a few notes from her textbook "nothing like having to cram a years worth of knowledge in the span of a few days to make you feel special" she muttered angrily. So focused on her work that she didn't even notice a black and red portal open up behind her, a hand reached out of the portal and grabbed Saphron's shoulder. Before she could react, the hand pulled her back into the portal and threw her into Ravens living room.

Saphron was tossed to the ground with a loud thud "you know a simple scroll call would have been easier" Saphron said as she pulled herself from the floor. Raven paid her no mind as she focused on the portal, the portal shifted slightly before it stabilized once more. Raven reached through and pulled crocea mors, before closing the portal Raven tossed something through but what she threw was anyone's guess. Crocea mors was tossed to Saphron "I'm gonna make this short so listen up" Saphron caught her sword and fastened it to her belt "we found your brother and he's stayin at Summer and Qrow's place".

Wow, just wow, that was short but there was so much to take in that it left her speechless. Saphron took a seat in the nearby couch "Your sure he's here" she asked and Ravens lack of response was the only answer she really needed. Hundreds of thoughts swirled in her mind "does he know yet" Raven shook her head "we wanted to wait until we got you here" Saphron looked around the room but no one else was around. "Where is everyone anyway"?

"There at signal for now, Tai thought it best to give you some time to collect yourself before we tell the kid".

Saphron took a deep breath to calm her nerves "I'll have to thank Tai when I see him". Raven nodded in agreement "I'd say they'll be back in about ten minutes or so" Saphron stared at Raven "TEN MINUTES"! Saphron shot to her feet "that's barely any time at all" Raven shrugged "I would have came sooner but I slept longer than expected".

For some reason that didn't surprise her as much as she thought it would but then again it was raven so she kinda already expected it. "I'm gonna go make some food for when everyone gets here" Saphron said as she left for the kitchen.

As soon as Saphron entered the kitchen, the front door flew opened with yang announcing their arrival "WE'RE BACK MOM"! Raven rolled her eyes "I'm right here brat" she said as she ruffled her daughter's hair. Yang struggled to get away but to no avail and it didn't help that everyone else that came with her laughed at her expense. Once Raven let her go, yang tried her best to fix her hair once more.

Jaune, Coco, neo and velvet filed into Yangs home, Ravens eyes quickly scanned over them "great, more brats". Tai passed the kids and wrapped an arm around Ravens waist "I'm home hun" before Tai could kiss her, Raven grabbed his face with one hand and stopped him. "Get cleaned up first, you know I don't like it when your stinking" Tai sighed and released her "you didn't think that way last night" Raven blushed slightly.

Jaune was confused about what he meant but it seemed everyone else knew since the looks on their faces turned to one's of disgust. "You do know we have children here, who are at the age to know what your talking about" saphron yelled from the kitchen. Yang rushed out of the room and into the kitchen "saph your here" she cheered happily. The girl that emerged from the kitchen with yang had short blonde hair that reached her shoulders and blue eyes that matched jaunes.

Saphron froze for a few seconds at the site of her little brother, he looked just like their father. A few more seconds of staring had jaune shuffling his feet nervously. "Hi I'm jaune" he said in a attempt to break the uncomfortable silence that went on for to long. Saphron opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Tai stepped behind Saphron and placed his hands on her shoulders "this is Saphron Arc, she's a huntsmen in training over at shade academy".

Everyone gave there greetings before deciding to disperse to do their own thing, all except Saphron and Tai. "You ok" Saphron sighed loudly "my first impression and I couldn't even say my own name, how do you think I feel"? Tai patted her shoulder gently "your gonna be fine, besides how do you think he's gonna feel when he finds out he has a long lost sister"? Saphron could only imagine how shocked he'd be at the news "we gonna tell him soon" she asked hopefully. Tai nodded to her "Ray went to get everyone else but before that, I'm gonna take a quick shower and get ready".

Now that Tai was gone and she was all alone in the living room her nerves began to act up "gotta do something, oh the food I started, better go check on it".

Jaune chose to leave the rest of the group in order to collect himself "Arc, that's what he said but...mother said I was supposed to be the last Arc". The forest close to the house was the perfect place for him to clear his mind "if she's an Arc like me, does that mean there could be others? If so does that mean that they're related to me in someway? Wait does that mean Saphron is related to me"? So many questions yet no answers and that only gave him a migraine "I suppose I should ask her". Although he made up his mind, his feet were reluctant to move.

If Saphron was related to him then why was he all alone and where were his family all this time? Did he really want to know he was abandoned when he was a child, did it even matter at this point when he loved and considered Salem to be his real mother? His decision was made, the walk back to Yangs house was short but enough for him to gain his nerve.

A few knocks on the door and yang came to answer "what's up"? "Is Saphron here, I need to talk to her" yang raised a brow "yeah she's here but she's cooking right now, why, what you need"? "It's important, please I need to speak with her" jaune insisted, yang stepped away to allow him passage "fine but don't get in the way ok". Once he entered the house he headed straight to the kitchen with yang trailing behind him.

"Alright just gotta let the stew simmer for a bit and then we'll be ready" Saphron said. Now that cooking was nearly complete she could focus on more important things. Jaune and yang entered the kitchen before Saphron could leave "hey saph, jaune wanted to ask you something, he said it was really important". Saphron turned to jaune "I wanted to know if we're related cause I'm an Arc too and I was told that I was the last"?

Saphron froze once more but this time it wasn't only her, yangs jaw hung open from the shock. "Wh-what are you saying there's no way, saph's family died a long time ago" yang said as she turned to Saphron "right tell him". She didn't expect this and quite frankly she didn't know how to respond, a chance, that's what this was. "Saph" yang prodded "yeah we are related" she took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself "your my little brother". Yangs eye's nearly popped out at the confirmation while jaunes response was a little more tamed with his eye twitching slightly.

Jaune had a feeling that they were related in someway but he just thought that they might have been cousins or something, not brother and sister. His body felt numb, if they were siblings then that ment his family, his real family was gone just like yang said.

"I know it's hard to accept but that is the truth".

Jaune didn't know what to say or what to do but a few question did come to mind, why didn't Salem know about this? Jaune leaned against the counter "How did are family die" Saphron closed her eyes "they and everyone else who lived in Ansel were killed by Grimm. From what I heard from Qrow. There was practically an entire army of them" jaune nodded along "where was I when this happened"? "In Ansel, which is why I'm shocked that you survived at all" her eyes narrowed " how did you survive anyways"?

Yang watched as question were fired back and forth between the two but for her,she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that they were siblings. "Well my master said he found me in a abandoned house" he lied "I've lived with him my whole life until we were separated near Atlas. It wasn't till I found his weapon and a large puddle of blood that I knew he was dead" jaune let out a sigh "this is more than I thought I would find out from you" he said truthfully.

Pushing himself up so he could stand straight, jaune went to leave the kitchen but stopped "I need to think about this a bit but-" he smiled at Saphron "- I think I'm kinda glad I still have a family member sticking around". Out of all the ways that could have gone wrong, she was glad that it didn't. Yang grabbed her by the arm and shook her back and forth with enough force to give her whiplash "I can't believe you never told me your brother was still alive"!

**Definitely need to crash, my jobs been forcing overtime for nearly three months straight.**


	21. Chapter 21: capture

**I honestly thought I wouldn't finish this today.**

Although their talk ended alright, jaune had vanished from that point on, always making excuses when they were getting together with everyone. Today was no different, only two more days and her little brother would leave back to vale and she'd have to return to shade academy to make up the days she missed. Coco, yang and velvet were talking about their weapons with ruby while neo watched Saphron pace back and forth for the tenth time.

Neo had enough of this, she was bored and jaune just kept leaving her with these people. She turned to walk away when Coco called out to her "hey, when you find him keep it PG 13 okay" neo stormed away but there was no hiding the blush that colored her cheeks. Coco and yang broke into laughter not noticing Saphron's shocked expression "are jaune and that girl really that close"?

Once the laughter finally died down and they got better control of themselves, Coco answered "honestly we're not sure, jaune acts like it's natural but neo's always hanging off him. As long as we've known those two and heard from their teacher, they're nearly inseparable". Saphron couldn't help but be surprised at this little revelation, yang couldn't help but grin "is it true their also sleeping together"?

Coco saw what yang was doing and followed along "yeah, neo was pretty eager about it" yang turned to Saphron "guess it won't be long before your calling her sister". Ruby and Coco exchanged confused looks "why would she call her sister" ruby asked and it took yang a minute to realize that they didn't know. Yangs hand collided with her forehead "oh that's right, I forgot to tell you that jaune and Saphron are actually siblings, pretty crazy huh"?

There were loud gasps, followed by a red blur that crashed into Saphron "oh my God I can't believe it, why didn't you tell us jaune was your brother? Wait what's that mean for us, does that mean he's like family now now or" Saphron pulled ruby's hood over her head to stop her rambling. "Don't worry so much about it ruby, despite the fact he's my brother, it's not like anything is really changing" Saphron assured her.

A little ways inside the forest on top of a large boulder sat jaune, being left alone with his thoughts had become the norm nowadays. The reason he wanted this alone time was because of what clicked in his mind the moment he left yang and Saphron. Looking at it reasonably, he, by all rights should be dead but he wasn't and that's only because of Salem.

He'd like to believe it was some incredible luck that brought them together but there was no reason she should have been there in the first place. The fact the Grimm arrived at Ansel in such numbers was unlikely to happen unless someone deliberately guided them and only Salem could do that. Despite how he wanted to dismiss the idea that Salem killed his family, it plagued his mind to no end and his doubts only grew stronger with each passing day.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by two hands that pushed down on his shoulders. Leaning his head back had blue eyes meeting a multicolored pair of pink and brown "what's up"? Neo's head tilted slightly as she considered her answer, a quick smirk before she front flipped over him. Jaune didn't quite get it but neo stuck the landing and held out both her arm's before doing a trust fall back on him.

As she predicted, jaune reached out and caught her "woah, you ok"? Neo ignored the question as she made herself comfortable on his lap, a few seconds later and she leaned back into him. It took him a few seconds to realise what was happening and when he finally understood he just let out a sigh before leaning forward. "It's things like this that give Coco a reason to tease you you know" neo leaned her head back to get a better look at him.

She pointed at him before pointing to herself and tilting her head once more "it doesn't really bother me much since I've had to deal with you for so long". Neo's cheeks puffed slightly as she started to jab her finger into the underside of jaunes chin "ok ok already, I didn't mean it like that". Reaching over he grabbed her right hand before her left shot up to take it's place but jaune stopped her with his left and pulled her hands down.

Neo stopped struggling after a few moments which gave jaune a chance to talk "I just meant that I've known you longer so this is normal, that's all". Neo seemed to freeze in his lap, he didn't understand why but she seemed a little more angry at him than normal so he did what he normally did in this situation and began rubbing her head and apologizing. She seemed reluctant to forgive him so he went for the killer move that always won out, his arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her into him as he rested his chin on her head.

This was always so embarrassing but it worked like a charm, as it always did when she seemed to deflate. The moment was short lived as a small rustle of grass caught their attention before a loud crack rang out. Jaune pulled neo along as they rolled off the boulder in time to dodge a rifle bullet. The two separated and pushed themselves into opposite direction but jaune was cut off by two white fang goons who held him at gunpoint.

His eye's quickly moved to where his sword was leaning against the boulder they were on but before he could move more white fang surrounded him. Neo saw the dire situation he was in and moved to help when a flash of red energy cut the ground in front of her. A red haired bull faunus sheathed his sword "I'd watch your step human or the next time you'll lose a leg". Neo's hand shifted slightly as her parasol appeared in her hand but before she could attack jaune called out to her "neo get out of here, there's too many of them and that one seems different than the rest".

If she could argue than she would have but unfortunately jaune couldn't see passed the hoard of goons between them. The bull faunus chuckled "you heard him human, run along unless you want to die" neo's eye's and teeth clenched together before she jumped back and disappeared. The bull faunus stood upright and moved over to the group that surrounded jaune "we don't got time to waste so bring him down hard".

The goons snickered as they rushed there captive from every angle and began to beat him with the but of their guns. At first jaune tried to fight back but the moment he tried he received a bullet to his leg from a faunus who watched him from a tree. Adam tapped the hilt of his sword as he waited for them to finish up, it took longer than he expected but the end result was the same. Jaune laid sprawled out on the ground with bruises and cuts all over his body, Adam nudged him with his foot.

Blake and ilia watched in horror as Adam drew his sword and stabbed it into jaunes thigh, some of the other white fang members flinched as jaune cried out in pain. "Now we're even for what happened in Atlas" Adam turned to the group of white fang members "he won't be running away anytime soon, take him". The white fang members bound and tide there captive before dragging him away, although it was their orders, ilia and Blake couldn't help thinking this was too cruel a punishment.

/

The shots of gun fire had drawn the attention of Saphron and the rest. Qrow and Raven led the way through the forest until neo appeared before for them, the panic on her face put everyone on edge. Although she couldn't speak, she got the message across through a mixture of hand motions and skillful acting. Qrow swore "fuck, what the hell are the white fang doing on patch of all places"? Raven rolled her eyes "does it really matter anyways, they got Saphron's brother and as far as I'm concerned that's the real problem we need to deal with".

Neo led the group to where jaune was last at, only to find that there was no one left except a small patch of grass dyed red with blood. Qrow and Raven had took one look at the scene before deciding to split up, they couldn't have gotten far and they needed air support. When Raven was out of site she changed into a bird and took to the sky but the forest trees blocked her view from finding the group that had the boy. Deciding on the next best thing led Raven to fly towards the coast in hopes of finding a boat that the white fang used to get on the island.

/

Adam called a halt to the group "bandage his leg, I don't want him bleeding to death before we deliver him to sienna". Ilia nodded and moved to follow her orders, pulling out a first aid kit that she kept on her she disinfected the wound before applying the gauze and bandage wrap. "Thanks" jaune whispered to ilia, she watched him for several minutes "don't thank me for this human". Once she put away her first aid kit, they marched on again and dragged the boy every step of the way until they reached there destination.

/

Raven looked up and down the coast line but there wasn't anything she could find that even resemble a boat "fuck". Qrow, Saphron, Coco, yang and neo followed the small trail of blood that was left behind until all of a sudden it ended. There were still tiny drag marks on the ground but because of all the foliage in the forest that trail was mostly covered up as well. Saphron and neo tried to find anything that could help but after ten to twenty minutes later only one word was uttered "fuck"!

/

Once the white fang cleared the forest, they entered a small cove that kept anyone from finding there ship and protected it from nature's wrath.

Adam had jaune locked in a cell below the ships deck before returning to the rest of the group "alright everyone we leave at nightfall, make sure you leave nothing behind and don't step foot outside for anything". As everyone scattered to begin putting there camp up, Adam returned to the ship and made his way to jaunes cell. Although he was still tied up, jaune pushed himself until he was leaning against the wall. Adams arrival came as no surprise "get comfortable in there human, it's gonna be a long ride".

**So much overtime! My bones are creaking from the strain of having to pick up so much cardboard paper.**


	22. Chapter 22: the failing fang

**This chapter was more fun to make for me personally because I feel like I haven't given jaune a hard enough challenge as of yet.**

Nightfall came and most of the group had boarded the ship already, the ones who hadn't were inspecting the cove for any loose ends. Blake finished inspecting her area and gave the ok for her area before boarding the ship. Blake walked over to ilia "is something wrong" she asked.

Ilia reached up and pulled her mask off "I don't like this, that kid is no older than us yet Adam is treating him worse than a war criminal". Blake's cat ears fell slightly "he's just being cautious because he knows how dangerous that human is".

Ilia's eyes narrowed "If that was really true he wouldn't be having some of the white fang down there now to beat up someone who can't fight back". Blake's eye's widened in surprise before she headed to the stairs to go below the deck, there in the humans cell was three white fang members stomping on the boy who couldn't even guard himself. Even if it was Adam's orders this was too cruel even for her to be okay with, rushing to the cell she began to push the other members away from the prisoner.

"Stop it" she yelled as she put herself between the prisoner and the fang members. The grunts were surprised at first but quickly regained themselves "what the hell, we're just following orders" the first grunt said. The other grunts agreed and began voicing there own opinions but Blake didn't care cause this was wrong, there was no need for further violence. Blake began arguing with the grunts about following such orders but the grunts wouldn't change their minds about how they treated the human, with all the yelling taking place, no one noticed jaune slipping his hands under his feet.

His messy blonde hair covered his eye's which gave people the impression that he was unconscious but the truth was he was waiting for the perfect opportunity. This faunus girl seemed a bit better than the rest but regardless of how she felt, she still worked with the fang which ment she would suffer their fate. Jaunes eye's traveled up and down the girls back noticing she had a katana strapped to her left hip and what looked like a small knife attached to her pants leg.

Taking a few seconds to consider his options wasn't a waste as two of the grunts got fed up with the situation and left altogether. Just the cat faunus and one grunt left, this was his best opportunity to escape from the fang. Kicking the back of the cat faunus legs caused her to fall back on to him which allowed him to take the small knife she had on her leg. The grunt moved to restrain him but fell victim to the small knife that jaune rammed into his throat, jaune legs kept the grunts body from crushing him. While jaune dealt with the grunt the cat faunus climbed to her feet and tried to run away but jaune pushed with his legs and sent the body of the grunt flying into her.

Blake felt the force of the grunts body slam into her back, her face cracked against the wall before she could activate her aura. Fear was the first thing she felt and it's what drove her to try and escape, crawling out from under the dead faunus she made for the stairs when she was hit in the center of her back by something. She tried to scream for help but a hand that covered her mouth pulled her back and away from the stairs. Jaune wrapped his arm around the girls throat and squeezed tightly, cutting off her air supply until she passed out in his arms.

Once he was sure she was out and wouldn't get back up, he got to work stripping the dead faunus of his clothes and taking the cat faunus's mask to cover his identity. Now with the cat faunus's mask in place he took one last look around until his eye's settled on the cat girls face "I'll let you live because you tried to help me out". Jaune climbed up the stairs to see several white fang members just milling about without a care in the world, never once thinking he could or had escaped.

When they took him captive they also brought his sword here but it wouldn't be long before someone realized he was out and about. He shook his head, it was regretful but he couldn't waste his time searching for it plus this uniform had some blood on it and it wouldn't take long for someone to figure out why. He waited till there wasn't anyone around before he leapt over the railing but kept hold so he wouldn't make a big splash in the water.

A few grunts walked by "hey did you hear something" the other grunts just shrugged "your probably just hearing things"

Jaune waited till they moved on before lowering himself gently into the water, taking a deep breath he dived underwater and headed towards the mouth of the cove.

/

Ilia had been waiting for Blake to return for what felt like hours now but the only few people to come back were some of the grunts. Placing her mask on her face she headed downstairs only to walk onto a scene she couldn't have imagined. Blake laid a small ways away from a grunt who had been strip of his clothes with a deep knife wound to the neck.

Ilia knelt to check Blake and was relieved to see her still breathing, shaking her gently caused Blake to cough and regain consciousness. Blake took in her surroundings until her eyes landed on the dead faunus, her mind was hazy but the memories of the boy who did this came back. Her body started to shake as she remembered being pulled back and having been choked nearly to death "Blake, Blake look at me".

Blake did as she was told "where is the prisoner" Blake shook her head "I don't know". Ilia cursed quietly, she didn't understand how one person could do this and escape without anyone noticing "we better tell Adam about this". Blake nodded and had ilia help her to her feet, traveling up the stairs and across the deck drew the eye's the rest of the fang members.

Adam was busy on his scroll talking to the Albani brothers when ilia and Blake entered the room. Adam quickly put his mask on his face before turning to the two that entered his room "please excuse me brother fennic, brother corsac something urgent has come up". Adam hung up the scroll before the albani brothers could object "what happened" he demanded as he helped Blake onto his bed.

Blake seemed out of it slightly so he had her lay down before rounding on ilia "the prisoner escaped, I'm not sure how long ago but I barely found Blake a few minutes ago". Adam gritted his teeth in frustration, this was bad, really bad because they couldn't just go searching the forest for him blindly with the risk of running into the kids allies. "Ilia you'll be heading out there to find the target but I'm afraid you'll have to go alone, we can't afford to be discovered and your the best at stealth besides Blake".

Ilia nodded and made to leave but stopped when Blake's hand grabbed hers "don't go" she pleaded "he's too dangerous to take on alone". "Don't worry about me, no human will ever out do a faunus in the night especially one who can change colors like I can" ilia gave Blake's hand a reassuring squeeze before leaving the room. Adam sat on the corner of the bed near her head and pushed his hand through her hair gently "get some rest Blake, when you wake up she'll be back and we'll head back to mistral together".

/

Jaune pulled himself out of the water and on to the shore "this day just couldn't get any worse can it" a growl that came from down the beach proved him wrong. Rolling into a kneeling position before pushing himself on his good leg allowed him to get a good look at what he was facing. Three beowolfs, jaune tested his bad leg and winced when he put too much pressure on it.

"One good leg and a tiny knife verses three large beowolfs" he couldn't help but laugh out loud "I guess you would need a handicap to even have a chance against me". The beowolfs charged all at once while jaune lowered his stance "come on" he yelled as the beowolfs descended on him. A vicious grin spread across his face "I couldn't have asked for a better trip" he yelled as he duck under a claw before driving the small knife into the beowolfs eye. Using his good leg to push himself up and onto the beowolfs back, jaune rode the beast like a steed and used the knife that was jabbed into it's eye to Steer it while it thrashed around.

The beowolfs kept their distance from there thrashing brethren until their patients ran out and they charged. Jaune was thrown from the beowolfs back as the beast was toppled over by the other two beowolfs. Now without a weapon he decided it was best to move to plan B, teeth gritted as he ran at full speed through the forest with the beowolfs on his tail. He didn't have a clue where he was going but all he knew was that he wasn't about to be some mutts chew toy.

Ilia hopped from tree to tree until she heard a commotion coming from nearby, following the ruckus led her to her target who was being pursued by three beowolfs. "Guess I should save him before he gets himself killed" she sighed and made to assist but before she could the three beowolfs were shot down by a girl with a submachine gun.

Coco changed her submachine gun back into a carrying case "Guess I'm the first to find you huh"? Jaune leaned against a tree trying to catch his breath "I owe you one Coco" he said before falling over. Coco moved over to check to see if he was ok but jaune had passed out from exhaustion. "Better call this in" Coco opened her scroll and went to call velvet when a blade stabbed into her scroll and knock it out of her hand.

Ilia's blade retracted which revealed her location to Coco "that's are human" she said as she dropped out of the tree and onto the floor. "Well this is gonna be a lot harder than I originally thought" said Coco as she changed her handbag into its submachine gun form once more.

**Alright that's where I'm to leave it at for now. I'm hoping to get the next chapter out quicker. I know people are going to comment on Coco's weapon but this is before she finalized her best weapon.**


	23. Chapter 23: a lost friend

**The next chapter as promised.**

Coco open fired on the faunus trying her best to end it quickly since she had an unconscious person to guard. Ilia side stepped the gunfire before changing her skin color black as she hid in a nearby bush. Coco made sure to put herself between jaune and the white fang member just in case she tried to grab and run. This wasn't good, especially when it was just her in this darkness "Really regretting that I left velvet to watch neo" she whispered to herself.

Ilia quietly circled around Coco and was prepared to take her down when the sound of glass breaking alerted her to the presence of another foe. Coco's head shot over towards the sounds of combat as velvet and neo double kicked ilia out of the shadows and into a nearby tree. Ilia rolled to the left as the blade at the end of neo's parasol stabbed into the tree right where ilia's head had been.

Realizing that she was out numbered with more likely on the way led ilia to make a haste retreat. Neo was about to give chase when velvet stopped her "we need to get jaune back before she comes with reinforcements". Neo turned towards the way the white fang member fled and thought about giving chase but one look in jaunes direction had her second guessing that choice.

Neo and velvet rejoined with Coco to help carry the unconscious boy between them "not that I'm complaining or anything but why are you guys here"? Velvets ears drooped slightly "I tried to do what you told me to but you know how neo gets". Coco couldn't help but laugh "well I suppose it was a good thing she dragged you along, I might have been in trouble if you two hadn't arrived when you did".

Hidden in the trees sat ilia as she spied on the trio, she knew if this plan failed to be nothing short of a success then there was a large chance that Adam would be demoted. As fun as that sounded, it would mean working under someone she really didn't know or trust as much. As ilia pondered how to retrieve the target, the trio made a game plan with Coco and velvet carrying the boy as neo stood guard. It was a stupid plan because the only real danger came from the faunus who had night vision, now that she was busy carrying the boys legs it left her open to be put down quicker.

Once she was down and out the other two would be easier to take care of since she could strike at them freely from the shadows. Now that she decided on her course of action, all that was left was to put it into play. Moving swiftly and quietly through the trees until she positioned herself just above the rabbit faunus "sorry sister but this is necessary". Ilia dropped out of the tree directly on velvets back only for the bunny girl to shatter like glass, as soon as her feet hit the ground she knew she was royally screwed.

A click sounded off a small ways out and any thought of trying to escape quickly went out the window when she realized that she was trapped in the middle of a three way deadlock. Coco's grin grew from ear to ear "you didn't think we'd be stupid enough to actually leave are greatest asset vulnerable did you"? Ilia mentally berated herself for being so thoughtless, her muscles tensed and she was prepared to make a break for it but the pressure that now pushed against the back of her head cut that idea down.

Neo smiled viciously at her captive "I wouldn't try anything if I was you, are dear neo here has been in a terrible mood since you stole her playmate" Coco said as she stepped closer to ilia. Neo rolled her eyes and decided to cut this short, her thumb pressed the switch on her parasol handle which caused the blade to extend into the back of ilia's skull. Velvet gasped loudly while Coco hurled on the floor, neo on the other hand, felt more relaxed now that their enemy would no longer be a problem.

Neo pulled the blade free from ilia's head and found amusement in the shocked expression the female faunus had before she died. "Neo, what the hell" Coco yelled as she grabbed the short girl by her shirtcollar "she had no way to escape us and she knew that, you didn't have to kill her". After two minutes or so, Coco let the small girl go and moved back to grab jaune who was leaning up against a nearby tree. Neo tried to offer her assistance but Coco pulled jaune away from her "if that's how you treat captives, I'd hate to see how you treat the injured".

Neo glared angrily at Coco and tried to take jaune away from her but velvet intervened "just guard the rear of the group for now" velvet said. Although velvet was always polite and a tad bit shy she couldn't hold back the disappointment that showed in her voice. Noticing that her so called teammates didn't like the way she did things had neo crossing her arm's and pouting as she did as she was told.

The trip back to the home of the rose family was a very quiet endeavor, the only noise came from velvet as she called ahead to let them know they had jaune. Once they arrived at there destination, they were met by the adults first "let's get him into the house" summer instructed to Qrow. Qrow complied with her request and took the young man out of the girls hands and delivered him to the couch in the living room.

Summer knelt next to the unconscious boy and began to give him a quick check up "he's got bruises all over his body" she listed off. "Small cuts that need to be disinfected immediately" she turned to ruby "go into the bathroom and get me the first aid kit that's on the shelf above the toilet". Ruby nodded before using her semblance enhanced speed to run to the restroom, summer returned to her work while ruby was gone. Her focus shifted to the wound on his leg, she pulled back the bandage to get a better look at the damage.

Blood began to leak from the wound "hmmm he'll need some antibiotics to prevent any infections from rearing their ugly heads along with knew bandages". Summer placed her hand against his head and luckily the kid wasn't running a fever but one part of his face was swollen. "How those monsters could treat a boy like this and say they fight for equality is beyond me" she hissed.

When ruby returned with the first aid kit, Summer had Qrow escort the kids out of the living room so she could focus on her task without interruptions. The only one allowed to stay was Saphron since she received a crash course in first aid training during her third year at signal.

/

Blake tossed and turned in her bed as his words played over and over in her dream "I'll let you live because you tried to help me out" once those words vanished she would feel the pain of being choked to death. She couldn't breathe, he was killing her with one arm wrapped around her throat and his hand covering her mouth so she couldn't scream for help. Blake thrashed with all her might but no matter how hard she fought she just couldn't break free from him.

"Blake, Blake wake up" Adam yelled as he fought to keep her restrained so she wouldn't hurt herself. The more he held her down, the more she fought back until her eye's snapped opened and she realized that she wasn't in danger anymore. Tears trailed down her face and she gasped for air until she was able to calm down and regain her composer.

Adam sat on the corner of the bed near Blake's head "I've never seen you like that before, tell me what happened". Blake thought about telling him the truth but she knew it would only fuel his anger for the humans they fought against. "It was just a bad dream, don't worry about it" she said instead "ilia, is she back yet"? Seconds passed but Adam didn't answer so Blake pressed further "Adam where's ilia"?

Adam let a sigh escape his lips but eventually he answered her "she's been missing since last night, so I've decided to head out and search for her once I'm ready. Blake sat up quickly "I'm going with you" she insisted but Adam already had a feeling this would happen and made no attempt to dissuade her decision. At the time he really didn't think much of Blake's reaction to her dream but when they eventually found ilia's body being devoured by a Grimm...well he soon regretted bringing her with him.

Blake's eye's widened at the scene of her friend being eaten and the words of the night before played in her mind "I'll let you live because you tried to help me out". She had helped him, even if it was unintentional, she gave him the opportunity to break free and ilia, her best friend, paid the price for her mistake. The negativity radiating off of her drew the Grimm's attention but it didn't matter when the beast was cut down a moment later by the angry cat faunus.

Ilia had no family to mourn for her so Blake took that responsibility and cried her heart out over the loss of her friend. Knowing it would cripple the morale of the fang members if they returned with ilia's body in this shape, Adam began to dig up the ground for a makeshift grave to put ilia's body in. The grave was quickly made by mixing a few low output energy slashed that sliced through the dirt and rock "it's time Blake" he said knowing that to be out here for so long could have them caught by the enemy.

Although Blake hadn't stopped crying, she complied and had Adam help her place the body in the ground "I'm sorry" she whispered quietly "this...this was all my fault".

/

The morning light was unrelenting in it's assault on his face "I hate morning's like this" he grumbled. Jaune was still hurt and he could tell because his whole body ached "better fix that" his semblance activated to boost his aura. The small cuts and bruises began to heal rapidly as his aura refilled itself, his eyes opened slightly as he looked down his leg "that's gonna take a little more time I suppose".

Looking to his side, he was surprised to see Saphron asleep next to his bed, he smiled gently "Guess I should start being a better brother".

**Blake being Blake, always blaming herself for things she can't control. If I really think about it she could be a tragic hero of her own story.**


	24. Chapter 24: revelations

**We're now reaching the end of the journey on patch. So sad it has to end but never fear for the story will continue.**

This shouldn't have been possible with the kind of injuries he sustained the night before and yet here he was training like nothing had happened. Saphron watched in amazement as jaune dodged a simultaneous attack from Coco and velvet before back flipping away. "Alright, I think we should stop here so the two of you can take a break" jaune instructed.

Coco hated when he treated her like he was better but even she had to admit that jaunes stamina was completely absurd. Jaune barely looked like he broke a sweat while they felt like they were about to die, was there really that big a difference between them?

Jaune took his shirt off and began to stretch his muscles "man it's been a long time since pushed my limits, I think I've gotten a little rusty". He could only imagine how cinder and vernal would react if they found out he was slacking in his training. Vernal would probably try to take him down in a straight up fight but cinder would probably scold him for his negligence. Just thinking about those two brought a smile to his face, he hadn't realized it til now but he missed them dearly.

"You may think your tough just because you beat them but how about you take on someone who actually knows how to fight". Jaune turned to see that yang had taken her stance in the yard where they had been practicing. Jaune looked left and right before turning back to yang "you mean Saphron right"? Coco began to laugh from the sidelines and that only aggravated yang all the more "ha ha, you should be a comedian".

Jaune gave her a light shrug "I guess some people just got the gift" his eyes narrowed on her "anyways, give me your best shot". The commotion outside drew the attention of Yangs mother, her daughter was gonna give the arc boy a good trouncing huh, this ought to be amusing she thought.

As soon as jaune said to start, yang charged forward like a wild boar and attacked like a professional boxer. Each of her blows was precise and aimed at vital points along the body but the only problem was that jaune had settled into his guard which cut the damage down by half. His guard was tight and he tanked each of her strikes so she decided to put more force into her punches in the hopes of breaking his guard.

While yang focused on delivering as much damage as possible to her opponent, jaune had taken the time to use this opportunity to read her movements. When yang put more power behind her right hook and moved to deliver her blow, jaune met her head on delivering a counter punch with a left straight. Yang realized her mistake a little to late and that led to her head being knocked back. She took a few steps back to regain what sense was knocked out of her but jaune had other plans.

Closing the distance between them, jaune performed a jump kick that yang didn't have time to block. She hit the floor hard but quickly rolled to her feet and threw up her guard as jaune delivered a combination of punches that were aimed at her face. Realizing that he was making a fool of her caused yang to unleash her semblance. Jaune was taken aback by the flames that now covered Yangs hair but as soon as he saw her eye's he knew that there was more to her semblance than just a new look.

Yang pushed forward just as jaune did and they traded there first blow, the difference in their strength was overwhelming. Jaune staggered backwards feeling like a part of his brain had just been blown out the back of his head. Yang continued her assault and gave a devastating right hook just as jaune tried to guard himself, his guard didn't stand a chance and that left him open for her left hook to the solar plexus.

All the air in his lungs took a u-turn and forced it's way out his mouth as he was launched across the yard before his body was buried into the ground and caused the dirt to form a seat made of soil. Raven couldn't help but feel proud that her daughter was becoming such a force of nature. Yang took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, now calm she looked at her now defeated opponent with satisfaction "now you know how good I am".

Yang had been so busy with the fight that she didn't know her uncle, aunt, ruby, neo and her father had came to watch. Ruby hopped in place while cheering happily that her cousin was the best. Saphron was about to get to her feet to go check on her brother when the dirt he was buried under was pushed apart by jaune himself.

Everyone watched with shocked expressions on their faces as jaune stood up like nothing happened. Jaune took a few seconds to dust himself off before facing yang again "Alright, you won the first round but on to round two". Yangs hair flared up as she got ready to fight again "you should've just stayed down" she said but jaune shrugged once more "where's the fun in that" he countered.

Jaune turned slightly to look at neo just before yang charged at him to deliver the final blow. Yang threw a flurry of powerful punches but jaune redirected each of them with minimal effort as he kept enough space between them. Borrowing a little of neo's fighting style, he allowed yang to fuel her semblance with her anger because it caused her attacks to become more wild and predictable.

"Duck, side step, back step" he chanted as he effectively dodged each of her attacks until he found small openings in her stance. Each new opening came with it's own pain and now it felt completely like a one-sided fight. Yang was running on fumes and none of her attacks were working "why can't I hit you" she asked between gasps of air.

"I had to change the way I fight because of you so I decided to use your greatest weakness against you" yang raised a brow "what weakness"? Jaune smiled at her "your anger" with those final words he moved on the offense and broke her down while she could barely raise her arms to block. After ten minutes of continuous attacks, she finally fell to her knees exhausted and without aura to defend her.

"Looks like it's my win" he said as he reached over to help her up. Yang accepted the assistance as anyone would if they too had lost to the one giving it, very reluctantly. On the sideline, Ravens mind ran through several moments during the fight where jaune changed his way of fighting compared to when he fought the two other girls.

The boy had an uncanny ability to adapt to his opponents fighting style and produce counter measures when necessary. It usually takes years for a fully trained huntsmen to be able to adapt on the fly like this boy had done. Even with that knowledge, she wasn't really surprised since she knew who his master was. The only real surprised was how the boy could even stand after taking a direct hit from Yangs semblance enhanced punch.

Now that she thought about it the boy did receive grievous wounds or so her daughter informed her "something I'll investigate later". Raven watched the boy for a few moments longer before taking her leave to survey the area, just in case the white fang were close by.

/

Adam entered his room, completely drained of any emotion "another failure for the fang and all because of him". His hands clench together so hard that his nails made tiny cuts in his palm before he roared with anger and began throwing anything that could be thrown. His fury last for a good fifteen minutes before he eventually calmed down and slumped on his bed, once the high leader heard of this failure he was sure to be demoted.

Blake remained out on the deck reflecting on the current events that transpired, ilia was gone and they resorted to torture. Her emotions were fried but with the little clarity she gained, she began to question what the white fang was now that they resorted to terrorism. They fought the good fight but now they were starting to treat every human like they were the cause of their misfortune.

Blake didn't really grasp the need for such hate and wondered if all battles up to now even made humans respect them as intended. If not then that would make those that died and even ilia's death mean absolutely nothing. She thought long and hard about it as the ship sailed away from patch and back to mistral.

/

Mistral

A bear of a man sat at the bar and down his sorrow with a fifth glass of bourbon "not enough" he grumbled. "Bartender another glass of the same" the bartender stared at the man "lien first" he said to the customer. The man grunted before reaching into his pocket, no lien, he reached into the others only to realize he didn't have anymore "put it on a tab". The bartender stared at the man for a good moment before answering "I'm sorry but I think not".

"Then how about a few drinks on me and yes, here's the lien for it" the newcomer tossed a stack of different colored lien in front of the bartender. The man turned to the newcomer before his eyes widened "SQUALL" he yelled as he tried to stand only to teeter on his feet before falling over. Squall looked over to the man who had fallen over "good to see you too hazel, glad to see Ozpin doing his best to help you after what happened to your sister".

Hazel struggled to get to his feet, now wishing he hadn't been drinking before he came to this bar "don't talk about her, you have no right" he spat. Squall let out a tired sigh "despite are employers and are differences, you know I tried to save her, if you want to be angry at anyone right now it should be Ozpin". Hazel still struggled to stay standing so squall tried to help him take a seat but he refused and pushed squall away "you, Ozpin and your damn war can all go to hell" he hissed

Tears trailed down his face as he fell to his knees, anger changed to sadness a he wept "just give me back my sister". Hazel was a broken man, a shadow of the former huntsmen he used to be. "I can not return the dead but I can give you the closure you deserve" squall knelt down in front of the burly man "I can give you the truth".

Hazel looked up to the man that was across from him "the truth, what good is that to me"? Squall placed a hand on the other mans shoulder "it would do you good but it'll also make you suffer" hazel stared into the man's eye's trying to see if there was even a hint that he was lying. After a long moment, hazel nodded for the man to continue, squall spared no expense and spilt the reason behind the war, the maidens, the relics, the truth of the gods and of Ozpins little ordeal.

"Your lying, you've got to be lying" hazel angrily punched the floor boards "my sister, all of it, it can't be true" he denied it with everything he had. "You don't have to believe me but if you come with me I'll be able to show you the evidence to back up my claim". Hazel thought long and hard for a good minute before giving his answer "I'll go with you". Squall stood up straight and took count of all the people in the bar "just three huh" without a moment's notice, he pulled out two hand pistols and shot down the civilians and the bartender to silence them.

"Did you really have to do that"? Squall put his guns away before turning to hazel "they heard too much and besides it's better to be safe than sorry". Leaning over the counter, squall opened the cash register and emptied out the lien "never did give me my drink and it'd be a waste to leave all this lien behind". Once he was done with the register he turned back to hazel to help him up "in case your wondering, yes this was a recruitment offer".

Hazel leaned heavily against squall "if what you told me is true, then I'll serve her if it let's me get back at that parasite" squall nodded as they made for the exit. "Oh and by the way, I go by a different name these days, call me Alec from now on".

**A lot of ups and downs with this chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Being sick really sucked, at least now I'm all better and ready to write.**

Their final day on patch came and went faster then jaune would have liked, he walked down the docks with Saphron next to him. The rest of his group waited for the ship to arrive which gave him time to talk with his sister in private "you know Saphron, I can't wait to get off this island. No offense to the people or this place in general but I've had more bad experiences here than most places" Saphron nodded in understanding.

"There aren't that many kidnappings on this island, I guess that makes you a special case huh" jaune laughed softly before turning to her with a slightly more serious face. "We haven't known each other long so I'm pretty new at the whole treating you like family thing but I hope with time we could grow close like real siblings" he said. Saphron smiled at her baby brother before the whistle blew, letting people know the ship was here for them.

Jaune reached out and wrapped his arm around his sister's back while she returned the gesture "take care of yourself jaune". After a few seconds they parted from each other so jaune could bored the ship, once he was on board with everyone else he turned to say his farewells as the ship departed. Yang ran to the edge of the docks to yell as they pulled out to the open water "hey jaune" she yelled to get his attention "the next time we meet I'll win for sure".

Jaune smiled and waved until he and the ship were nothing more than tiny dots in the distance. Yang returned to Saphron and they both started to head home "I take it you see him as some sort of rival" she asked. Yang looked to Saphron from the corner of her eye "yeah, I've never lost to anyone in my grade until he showed up" a smile formed on her face "now I have a goal to push me more".

Saphron laughed loudly "you xio longs really don't like to loser" yang nodded in agreement "that's right, we'll keep going till we win for sure" she said proudly.

/

Even though patch was long gone, jaune stared in it's direction for a few moments before turning back to his group. "I'm definitely going to Beacon" Coco announced "in fact I'd be pretty cool if we all a went when we graduate from pharos". Beacon academy was seen as the best school to go to when you wanted to be a huntsmen or huntress, the only problem was that it was run by Ozpin.

"I don't know, I was thinking I'd weigh my options when I'm in my final year" he said only for Coco to wave away his opinion "great it's settled, make sure you guys don't back out now". Jaune rolled his eyes "how come I never meet any good girls" Coco raised a brow while neo crossed her arms but velvet smiled nervously with one of her ears drooping slightly "ok, never is a strong word" he said. Velvet seemed to cheer up at the notion while Coco leaned over towards neo "Guess she's got a better chance than you do" although she whispered it to neo, velvet heard it loud and clear.

Her face turned beet red and she just couldn't look at jaune anymore so she went below deck to avoid them altogether. Neo stepped away from Coco and wrapped her arms around his arm while giving a death glared to their last female companion. Coco laughed as she began to head in the same direction velvet left "good luck mister knight and shining armor" she called back before disappearing below the deck.

Jaune raised a brow "good luck with what"? He looked towards neo, shaking his head he came to one answer, women were strange creatures.

/

Mistral, White Fang HQ

Sienna sat in silence as Adam gave his report, none of what he said really matter since in the end he failed. The albani brothers stood to the side of the room, to her eye's they seemed ready to jump in should she push to have Adam dismissed from his leadership positions. "Adam" the bull faunus froze "although your mission to capture jaune arc was a failure, I don't believe it was your fault".

Adam couldn't believe it, was there a chance he wouldn't be demoted "I believe the failure of this mission belongs to me" said sienna. All in attendance were shocked by Sienna's words, so Adam asked the obvious question "what do you mean high leader"? Sienna stood from her throne and walked down the few steps until she stood before Adam "what I mean is that with all that young man's done, I sent a lesser individual to catch him".

Adam shot to his feet in anger "no human will ever be even a quarter of what I am" the albani brothers looked displeased with Sienna's words. Looking away, Sienna snickered "two losses and nothing to show for it besides your wounded pride" she shook her head "next time I'll send someone more dependable". Turning back to Adam, she looked him up and down once "for now I'll station you in mistral and I'm sending Blake to menagerie for recruiting".

Adam tried to object but sienna silenced him with a wave of her hand "you will do as you are told, be grateful your not being demoted, now get out of my site". Adam bowed his head before leaving the throne room, outside of the room Blake waited for the meeting to end when the doors were pushed open. She knew Adam was angry without having to look under his mask so she waited till he spoke "Sienna has decided that separating us would be are punishment, she's sending you to menagerie".

Blake didn't know how to feel about that but it did provide a chance to hear someone's perspective on her current situation. They walked in silence until they reached Adams room "don't worry Blake, I'll figure out how to change Sienna's mind so we can stay together". Blake was pulled from her thoughts by Adams words "don't" she said quickly, the sudden outburst shocked him "don't? Is there a reason I shouldn't"?

Blake nibbled on the inside of her bottom lip for a few seconds "I think it would be good to go back, maybe see my mom, you know after what happened with ilia, I think it'll be good for me". Adam didn't seem pleased with her answer "Blake, you know if you go back to them they'll just try to get you to leave the fang and me, don't do that to yourself". Blake was silent for a moment so Adam reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing the SDC brand that was burned into his skin.

"You know why we fight Blake, if you go back there they'll only try to fill you head with doubt, trust me" Adam gently took her hands in his. Blake knew he was telling the truth because her parents had tried once before, this was different though, Blake took a step back and let her hands slip from his. "I haven't forgotten and I won't let them change my decision but I need to go back, there's things I need to talk to them about" Adam's frown deepened at her words. Adam released a small growl "fine" he said angrily as he turned away from her "do whatever you want". Blake flinched at his words but Adam hadn't noticed as he entered his room and slammed the door behind him.

"That could've gone better" she whispered to herself before turning away from Adams room. There was something she needed before she left for menagerie, she headed down a few halls until she arrived at the armory. The door to the room opened easily, moving through the room and passed the weapon rack led her to the one item that she really wanted, the Atlesian custom made longsword.

This one weapon was the only thing that they had from their prisoner, Adam said when they first found out they still had it was that it was nothing more than a reminder of his failure. Blake picked up the longsword and gave it a few practice swings "far heavier than I thought it would be, maybe I should have it reforged".

She took the sword with her to her room so she could put it with her belongings, to her eye's the blade was made of good material "Guess it's gonna need a new name when it's been reforged". She crossed her arms and thought deeply about it "shroud? No it'll need more than that" after awhile she just shrugged her shoulders "I'll think about it later" she said as she went back to packing.

/

Mistral, championship tournament

The crowd went wild as the Champion was knocked unconscious by his opponent "AND THERE WE HAVE IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. The announcer yelled into the microphone "WALTER HIKKI HAS BEEN DETHRONED" the crowd cheered loudly "GIVE IT UP FOR ARE UNDERDOG AND NEW CHAMPION, PYRRHA NIKOS"! Pyrrha waved politely to the crowd as they chanted her name over and over again. When the crowd began to calm down the announcer began the Champions interview "miss Nikos, how does it feel to be the Champion in only your first year of competing"?

Pyrrha took a deep breath to calm herself "it feels pretty amazing" she said happily. "You know you've earned a really incredibly nickname, the invincible girl, how do you feel about that"? "Nervous" she answered honestly "there you have it ladies and gentlemen, a warrior of few words but plenty of power, be sure to catch us next time cause there's plenty more where this comes from. Pyrrha quickly hopped off the stage as the tournament was closing up for the day.

Another day of of training was right around the corner, her hand came up to the small piece of cloth that was wrapped around her neck. The small black cloth was all that was left of the hoodie she cherished "I hope your keeping your promise" she whispered to herself.

**Would you look at that, pyrrha has returned. Oh yeah!**


	26. Chapter 26: visiting mistral

**I know people are worried about this whole covid-19 epidemic so I just hope you all take care of yourself and be safe.**

Two and a half years passed since their misadventure on patch and much has changed since then. Jaune and neo were in their third years while Coco and velvet were in their last year of pharos. While their class and ages were different, they still hung out occasionally, it was on this random day that Coco, yang and ruby set out to find their blonde comrade. "Your sure he's here" yang asked as she stared at the bar called juniors, Coco looked up from her scroll "that's what neo just messaged me, apparently this is his usual hangout spot".

"Never took jaune for the party type" yang said as she led the others to the bars entrance. Two male bouncers blocked the entrance from the rest of the guests, seeing the three girls approach the eldest bouncer confronted them. "Aren't you kids a bit young to be out this late"? Yang rolled her eye's "we're here to find jaune, you know him, I hear he's a regular" the man's shades slide down his nose to reveal a pale face "you mean mister Arc"?

Coco took the man's reaction and rolled with it "yeah, he's expecting us so we'd appreciate it if you stopped wasting are time and let us through". The bouncer took a step back and turned to the side to allow them access to the club "please forgive my rudeness". Coco turned to the others and gave them a wink before she made a show of her privilege by walking passed the line of people waiting to enter.

Ruby and yang quickly followed behind Coco and entered the club, the place was far bigger than it looked from the outside with loads of people everywhere. Coco lowered her shades to get a better look around for there target until ruby began pointing to someone on the other side of the club. "Look look there he is" ruby said as she bounced up and down, Coco looked in the direction that ruby was pointing to see a blond young man wearing a white button up shirt, black pants and shoes with a vest and tie.

At first he looked like just another gang member until he pulled the red shades off, revealing two blue eyes that they knew so well. There were plenty of questions to ask him but that could wait till later, the trio made there way to the bar in time to overhear the conversation jaune was having with the bartender.

Jaune dried off his hands with a rag "I managed to get the location of your goods like you asked but your gonna have to get ride of the guy as a customer so this doesn't happen again".

The bartender let out a sigh "damn it" junior pick up a spare cloth to dry a shot glass "I appreciate the help as usual, I'll also send some of my boy's to pick up the merchandise".

Jaune nodded to the elder man before turning in his chair "you know it's rude to eavesdrop, right"? "You were busy talking and we just happened to be close enough to hear" Coco said innocently but he didn't buy it. A quick roll of his eye's followed by rubbing his left hand through his hair allowed him to relax a little "so, what's up"? Coco placed a hand on her hip, lowered her glasses and gave jaune a once over "apparently a lot but that can wait till later".

She reached into her back pocket and pulled forth four tickets "congratulations your are fourth for a little field trip to the mistral championship". Jaune chuckled "what would make you think that I'd want to go to mistral, home of the white fang HQ, who I might add had captured and tortured me"? Coco nodded a couple times "well when you put it like that it's hard to argue, I guess I thought you'd like a vacation from neo but apparently you appreciate her company more than I thought".

Jaune shot up out of his chair "wait, your telling me that neo isn't coming with you"? Coco nodded "yup, only had four tickets for us four in attendance" she said as she wave her index finger in a circular motion. Turning left and right to look at the other two, jaune weighed his options, on one hand it was three girls he could easily get along with and on the other hand was neo, who had been a lot more moody lately.

Jaune turned to junior "don't tell her where I'm going and make sure you got plenty of junk food on hand for the coming days". Junior raised a brow "your acting like she's a type of animal" jaune wore a blank expression "it's neo" the elder man thought about it "good point".

/

Mistral, several days later

Jaune looked at the caller ID on his scroll, five missed call from junior, so it has begun already he thought as he turned his scroll off. Although he wasn't in vale anymore he still wore the outfit junior gave him except for the red glasses. The motel they were staying at was one that was set up in advance by Coco's mother since she had connection there for her work as a fashion designer.

Coco went to the front desk to get what they needed and quickly returned with three key cards. "Here you go" she passed out two of the cards to both jaune and yang "ruby will be staying in your room yang". Yang looked disappointed that she had to share her room, until a thought came to mind "oh jaune" she wrapped her arms around his neck "you wouldn't mind swapping with me would you"?

Jaune tried to wiggle out of her grasp but unfortunately her grip was to strong "why would I be willing to do that"? Yangs arms tightened around his neck as she pulled him close enough so she could whisper in his ear "if you don't I'll let neo know the real reason you came on this trip". Jaunes eye's narrowed "you wouldn't" yang smiled viciously "I would and you should know by now that I always win" jaune stared at her for a few seconds before finally giving in.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips "Alright you win" he said reluctantly, a smile spread across Yangs face " I knew you would see it my way". Yang gave jaune a peck on the cheek before letting go of his neck and turned to the other two who were talking with each other "ruby" she called happily to get her attention. "Looks like you'll be rooming with jaune" ruby looked confused at the situation she was in "why can't I stay in your room"?

Yang came close and gave her cousin a hug "some people just need more space than others and I happen to be one of those people plus jaune wholeheartedly agreed". Ruby looked to jaune for some assurance but instead of him agreeing with Yangs words he looked grief stricken. Yang coughed loudly to catch jaunes attention "right jaune" the boys head nodded slowly "see everything is gonna be fine" unfortunately ruby disagreed with her cousin.

After finding their rooms and settling in, the four of them decided to hit the streets of mistral. "We're lost" yang cried out as she fell to her knees in a dramatic fashion "we're not lost you idiot" said Coco. The small map that was displayed on Coco's scroll showed their location "Look, if we follow this street here we can get to haven academy easily" yang got back to her feet and dusted herself off.

"If it was that simple why'd you say you had no idea where we were" yang questioned "because I've never been to mistral before so I don't really know this place". Jaune rubbed his temple trying his best to alleviate the headache that was coming until a small tug on his shirt brought his attention to ruby. Ruby looked worried "are we gonna be ok" she asked, jaune smiled down at her before he ruffled her hair "don't worry ruby, I promise we'll be ok, after all an Arc -" "Never goes back on their word" ruby finished for him.

Jaune chuckled "yeah" Coco snapped her fingers "Alright everyone let's get a move on" she ordered as she headed down the road. The walk to haven academy was longer than he thought luckily he spent most of the walk talking to ruby about the latest issue of X-ray and vav that she'd gotten him into. "Alright everyone we're here" Coco announced happily "make sure your on your best behavior please" she gave a pointed look at yang which caused ruby to giggle.

As they strode through the courtyard of haven academy they noticed a lot of the students milling around "so much for being hard working huntsmen and huntresses" jaune commented. Their stroll through the academy was interrupted by two huntsmen in training "kids aren't allowed here, this place is for future saviors of remnant". The two huntsmen snickered as they fist bumped each other "then we should be right at home since we're training to be huntsmen and huntresses as well" jaune crossed his arms as he smirked at the duo.

"You hear that Dee, their gonna be huntsmen too" the huntsmen in training broke into laughter "come on Dudley it's not right to make fun of kids dreams" Dee laughed out. Yang was furious, how dare they laugh at their dream like it was foolish, before she could get close to them jaune grabbed her shoulder. "Two big bad huntsmen think they can be better than us" Coco laughed "we may be young but we're the best at what we do".

Dee and Dudley exchanged looks with each other before turning back to Coco "if your so confident, then how about a wager"? Coco raised a brow "what kinda wager" Dee smiled viciously "a tag team fight, you and one of your other friends versus us". Coco nodded "what's the terms for winning and losing" Dudley gave Coco and yang a once over "how about if we win you and the blonde chick spend some time with us".

The duo chuckled "we'll be happy to show you what it's like with a real huntsmen" Dudley winked at Coco which caused her to flinched in disgust. "If we lose-" Dee thought about it "-we'll let you decide" he said quickly, Coco turned to yang "what do you think" yang huffed "I'm game, I'll be sure to treat them gently". The deal was set and they were led to the training hall where a few huntsmen in training watched with amusement as yang and Coco got into the ring with Dee and Dudley.

Ruby was uncomfortable "what should we do, this could be bad" jaune had the same thought but for a different reason. When the bell for the fight rang, jaunes thought became a reality and the horror Dee and Dudley were subjected to were enough for him to feel sorry for them. A flinch here, covering ruby's eye's there weren't enough to shield them from the horrible scene taking place especially when yang lifted Dee into the air with an uppercut to the nuts.

Once the fight was over with the two girls hopped off the fighting ring with pleased expression on their faces. Jaune turned to the ring where the two huntsmen in training laid "those two will never have kids in their future and for that you have my condolences. Coco rolled her eyes "we weren't that bad" the horrible wheeze that came from Dee's crumpled form begged to differ. "So what's next" yang asked the group but before anyone could answer, jaune raised a hand "actually I need to speak with the headmaster about something".

"Ok we'll come with you" yang said but jaune shook his head "sorry but it's sort of a private affair, don't worry I'll be back soon so just hang around here until I come back". Jaune backed away from the group before he turned and quickly left "does anyone else feel like there's something going on with jaune or is that just me"? Ruby and yang agreed with Coco "should we follow him" ruby asked but yang shook her head "whatever he's doing isn't are problem and besides it's not like he's doing anything bad so let's leave him be for now".

/

In the headmasters office Leo lionheart wiped the sweat off his brow "I've done as you've ask and hired the assassin, he should arrive at the arena in time for the Champions meet and greet". A few hooded figures stood around lionhearts desk "we appreciate your corporation" the leader of the hooded figure said. A knock on the door had everyone present in the room turning to the door, no one was supposed to disturb them, another knock came to which Leo answered "who is it"?

"It's Jaune Arc, I believe we met a long time ago when I traveled here with my master" the hooded figures turned to lionheart "let him in" the leader said. Leo did as he was told "please come in the door is opened" at the behest of the headmaster the door opened to reveal a tall young man with long blonde hair. The boy walked in but didn't seem to notice the hooded figures standing in the room "it's been too long headmaster" jaune said as he bowed slightly.

As soon as the door closed to the headmasters office the hooded leader moved behind jaune and pressed hand gun equipped with a blade at the top and bottom against his back. Jaune froze in place "your getting sloppy jaune" the hooded leader whispered into his ear, the hooded leader snapped their fingers and the room that was empty became full with four other hooded figures besides the leader. "Please tell me your not with the white fang" he asked only for the hooded leader to laugh "it really has been a long time if you don't remember my voice" the hooded leader removed the hood to reveal her face.

Jaunes eye's widened as he took in the woman that stood before him "Vernal" he said slowly, Vernal lowered her weapon and spread her arms "the one and only".

**The return to mistral and Now vernal as been reunited with jaune but is it a blessing in disguise or a omen of what's to come?**


	27. Chapter 27: family reunion

**I realized I can't write all that well with music playing because I get distracted to easily. If it's a good song I know then I'll definitely be singing along instead of writing**

Vernal placed her hands on her hips and smiled happily "I would have thought that you'd start balling your eye's out at are -" she was cut off mid sentence as jaune hugged her tightly. "Well I'd say that's a close enough reaction wouldn't you agree vernal" one of the hooded figures commented. Vernal drove her fist into jaunes gut effectively getting him to let her go "could you be anymore emotional" she turned to the hooded figure who spoke out "let's see how you like it cinder".

The hooded figures began to take off their cloaks revealing one jaune recognized and a few he didn't. Cinder flipped a few locks of hair away from her face "jaune, you've grown up quite a bit haven't you"? Jaune tried to talk but only a pained wheeze came forth "I think she broke him" one of the other girls replied. After a few more seconds jaune pulled himself together and stood a little straighter "geez, I don't see you for a few years and the first thing I get is a punch".

He rubbed his side before turning to cinder, much like vernal, she too had changed "don't-" she tried but was unable to fend him off. It was embarrassing but unlike vernal she waited till he let her go, taking a few steps back allowed him to get a better look at them. A cough came from one of the others in the room so Vernal moved over to the remaining three "these two are my subordinates" she motioned to the two behind her.

The first was a man with long black hair with a pink streak running through it "greetings, I am lie ren" he motioned to his side where a girl with red hair that was more orange than anything stood. "This is Nora valkyrie" ren tried to introduce her but the girl moved quickly and zoomed around jaune "so your the one vernal keeps talking about". Nora dashed over to vernals side "he sure is mister muscles" she whispered only for vernal to grab her by her shirt and drag her back to ren.

Cinder chuckled lightly "no need to be so embarrassed vernal" vernal flipped her middle finger at cinder which only brought a smile to her face. Next up was the green haired girl with red eye's "Emerald sustrai" she introduced herself but said no more than that.

"Subordinates huh" jaune looked over the three "I can see that happening with cinder but it's really surprising that you have some as well vernal". Cinders smile grew larger while vernal rushed over and grabbed jaunes collar, hoisting him in the air "what the hell's that supposed to mean, I'm just as capable as she is". Jaune tried to wiggle free but to no avail "I just meant you've always been a loner type" he choked out before vernal dropped him.

"Now we know who's the dominant one in that relationship" Nora whispered to ren, jaune rubbed his neck before turning to cinder "is it me or is vernal a lot more violent"? Cinder shrugged her shoulders "I think it's just you" he didn't know why but he could tell she was lying.

"Despite the rough reunion it's great to see you both again and it's nice to meet some friendly new faces as well. I do have a question though, what brings all of you here in the first place" Cinder and Vernal exchanged glances with each other. "Recruitment" Cinder said "we came in the hopes of recruiting a powerful ally, unfortunately we were unable to convince her to join us".

Vernal nudged jaune "what about you, I doubt you came all this way from vale just to speak to the headmaster"? Jaunes eye's narrowed "how did you know I came from Vale" Vernal looked taken aback but Cinder answered for her "Alec only recently found out about your whereabouts".

"If that was true than why hasn't he tried to establish contact with me"?

"You've come in contact with a few of Ozpins closes allies, it's only natural we haven't tried since it would tip them off to your identity".

He didn't like it but he knew that his master would avoid contact if it kept him alive. "Fine I get it" he pushed a hand through his hair "to answer your earlier question vernal, I came to see the mistral championship with some friends. I also thought since I was already here I could use the seer that lionheart had to make a call to Salem".

Cinder and Vernal remembered why their master didn't want jaune being able to speak to their mistress. Unfortunately there wasn't anyway to prevent that now, not unless they were prepared to fight him, they turned to lionheart and nodded. Lionheart got the message and left to retrieve the seer hidden in a secret passage behind his bookshelf.

The headmaster returned a few minutes later with a Grimm in his possession, letting the creature go allowed it to float in front of everyone. The orb atop it's head swirled and changed until a face appeared that they all knew well "I do believe this is The first time you've contacted me yo-". Salems voice cut off as soon as jaunes image became clear through the seer's orb "jaune"?

"Salem" his voice was gentle and conveyed the emotion he wished to express but couldn't because of the company they were in. Realizing this Salem ordered for everyone except jaune to leave the room, once they were alone together the acting was dropped quickly. The seer spun in place creating a black smoke that took the form of it's master, jaune stepped forward so he stood just in front of her.

The first thing he noticed was the black cracks that lined her face "mother what's happened to you". Salem turned away from him to hide the marks on her face but jaune stopped her "please, tell me what's wrong". Salems eyes softened as she turned to him "much has happened since I lost you several years ago" one of her hands reached up and stroked his cheek.

Jaune leaned into the hand that caressed his face "you have never lost me mother". Salem smiled lovingly at the young man before her, how she loved to hear him address her as such. Jaune placed his hand over the hand on his cheek and pulled it down gently so he held it in his palm "tell me what's happened while I've been away".

Salem nodded at his words "your master has been hard at work gathering ally's to aid us in are fight against Ozpin. I've spent a great deal of time trying to convince him to bring you home but time and time again he's come back without you, saying you'd be in danger if he tried. Jaune nodded along to her words "master wasn't wrong, I've come in contact with a few of Ozpins most trusted agents and I'm sure I'd probably not be here if they knew about are connection".

A grief stricken look came over his face as he stepped back away from her "mother, I've spent a long time on my own and I've learned much". Salem didn't like where this was going but didn't interrupt him "I've learned about my family, my real family and what became of them". The whites of his eye's turned pinkish as he fought back tears that threaten to run free "did you kill them"?

The question was like a knife to the chest, after all this time it's finally come back to this "I did" she answered truthfully knowing there was no use lying. The room fell silent for the longest time before jaune spoke "why" it was a simple question but one that had a complex answer. Salem took a moment to collect her thoughts "Even if I told you why the chance you would believe me is small".

"At least let me decided that" he argued.

Salem held his gaze for a moment "very well but instead of telling you, I think it's best I show you instead". The world around them shifted as darkness engulfed there surroundings, when his vision cleared he found himself in the midst of a battlefield. Harbinger flew past his face just as a younger Qrow slid to a stop at jaunes feet, looking around he noticed most of the others that were present.

Younger versions of yang and ruby's parents were sprawled out across the floor except for two individuals who remained on there feet to face there enemy. Raven Branwen and a man that was unmistakably his father, before them stood Salem, she stood tall and exuded an enormous amount of killing intent. Jaunes hands twitched as instinct honed in combat begged him to defend himself, unfortunately the fear he suppressed for so long came with a vengeance that froze him in place.

"Ozpin sure knows how to change up the line up of his sacrifices but in the end you'll all end up in the same place anyway". Salem took a few steps toward her prey until she was within striking distance of Nicolas's sword "another Arc who's life must be extinguished. Tell me how it feels to be the last of your house" Salem asked "I'm not the last and this isn't over yet" Nicolas spat.

Salem spread her arms out giving him an opening to attack, Nicolas pointed crocea mors at her chest ready to strike only to realize that she had no intention of dodging. Seconds ticked by as he remained froze in place "you have your chance, strike me down if you can" a smile spread across her face as she took another step forward. The blade pressed against her chest where her heart should be but still Nicolas didn't make the attempt to follow through.

"You realize it now don't you, no matter how hard you try or how many he sends after me, none will be able to kill me". Footsteps echoed from behind as Raven circled around her foe, the blade whistled as she thrusted her katana through Salems back and out through her chest. Jaunes knew of Salems immortality but even then his body reacted on instinct, he rushed to her side fully prepared to use his semblance.

Jaune and Nicholas both took a step back as Salem erupted with an uncontrollable laughter that sent chills down there spines. Raven tried to pull her sword free but was unable to, black tentacles shot out of the wound on Salems back and quickly wrapped around Ravens arms and legs. Raven struggled to get free but the hold the tentacles had on her was ironclad "I guess you'll be first" Salem pulled Ravens sword from her back before turning to her assailant.

Suspended in the air with her arms and legs spread apart, Raven for the first time in her life felt truly powerless. One thought filled her mind, yang, she wouldn't be there to watch her grow into a woman and that thought brought more fear than she knew how to handle. The blade spun in Salems hand until it pointed directly at Ravens chest "perhaps I'll return the favor".

"Stop it" Nicolas yelled as he ran between Raven and Salem, his arms spread out as he used himself as a shield. Salem smirked at the pathetic display this man was making "now why would I listen to you"? Nicolas gritted his teeth "please spare their lives and I'll do anything you ask" he pleaded. Salems eyes widened in surprise as did Ravens "Nic, stop, think about you family" Raven yelled frantically, Nicolas turned his head to the side "I am".

The determination that showed in his eye's made Raven freeze "they'll be fine without me because they'll still have there mother but what about yang? Your daughter isn't even a month old, I won't let that child become an orphan just so we can all die here". Nicolas turned his gaze back to Salem "you can do whatever you want with me but please let them go".

This was a first, a chance to have an Arc serve her in exchange for these pawns of Ozpin. It was a nice thought but she knew he'd never be able to truly fight for her, a new idea came to mind, one that could destroy all the support Ozpin built. Salem chuckled darkly "I have a better proposal in mind, in exchange for all your lives you must hear my - no are story". Nicolas and Raven exchanged quick glances with each other before turning back to Salem "talk" he said after a moment of silence.

Salem gently placed Raven back on the ground before retracting her tentacles "listen carefully and know the truth that Ozpin has hidden from you". All was silent as Salem spoke of the time before when both she and Ozpin were both human and in love. Time felt like it slowed to a crawl as Salem spoke of her curse, the gods and the ordeal given to Ozpin formally known as Ozma.

At one point Ravens mouth fell open as they listened to Salem and when her story came to a close there was nothing they could say. "Now the two of you know the truth that Ozpin has hidden which concludes are deal" Salem turned away from the two stunned hunters and walked away. "We were nothing but pawns from the very beginning" Raven said in disbelief before anger took root "that son of a bitch"!

Nicolas pulled himself out of his stupor "Raven, before we go doing anything let's get the others out of here" at his word, Raven moved to collect her brother. Nicolas slung Tai over his shoulder while looping his arm under the unconscious form of summer rose. Once they were on the move Nicolas turned his head to Raven "we don't speak of this until we know for sure that she was telling the truth". Raven looked ready to argue but eventually she agreed "Nic, if by some chance she was telling the truth we'll have to let the others know".

Nicolas nodded in agreement "we can't let them continue without knowing the truth but if what Salem said is true I don't think I'll be helping out anymore". Raven couldn't have agreed more with his decision.

**A story of a time before part 1 complete. I feel like Nicolas is becoming the big brother of their circle but who knows that's probably just me.**


	28. Chapter 28: Salems deal

**Crazy times people, my job got a covid-19 scare and let me tell you, I've never seen people react the way they did. Honestly it was a little scary how fast everyone turned on one individual, luckily nothing too bad happened and everyone's ok.**

World darkened once more as black smoke transformed the area around him into a open field with a small settlement in the distance. Jaune noticed two people walk up a hill that lead to his general location, Raven and Nicholas came to a stop a few feet away dressed in their combat gear. The two seemed tense as they waited for something, the sound of growling was heard as a pack of beowolfs left the forest behind to reach the two hunters.

Raven place a hand on the hilt of her sword but Nicolas stopped her from drawing it. The beowolf pack stopped a few feet away before bowing down in front of them "it's only been a week since we last saw each other face to face". Their attention turned to the night sky as Salem floated down to the ground "normally I wouldn't have come if asked". Nicolas bowed his head slightly "I know and I'm grateful you decided to hear us out" Nicholas took a few careful steps forward with Raven.

"We confirmed you story with Ozpin as I'm sure you already know" Salem nodded in confirmation "the last time we met you gave us a deal and kept your side of the bargain. We called you here with the hope of creating a new deal, one that could benefit all parties involved". Salem chuckled "I suspected as much but what could you offer me, your life's are as worthless to me as one of these blades of grass on the floor".

"Your right" Nicolas answered "but what we are capable of isn't, if you agree to peace and promise no harm will come to are families we will no longer help Ozpin fight against you". Salem hummed to herself "and what of the others, will they also stand by while I do as I please"? Nicolas shook his head "unfortunately I cannot make any guarantees on there behalf" Salems eye's narrowed "then why bother me with this pointless meeting"?

It was Raven who spoke up "I can guarantee one more will agree to this deal" Nicolas looked surprised "if you agree, my husband will also keep this promise". Salem was silent, three of Ozpins trusted essentially removed from his service, it was a bargain but she needed more. Her eyes fell on Nicolas "I'll agree to your peace on the condition that you three shall never again stand against me" a breath of relief escaped the two huntsmen.

Salem pointed to Nicolas "be forewarned that if your friends intervene with my plans, you are forbidden to help them". Nicolas tensed "you expect me to turn a blind eye to my comrades" Salem shook her head "no, I expect you to honor are arrangement. If they continue to serve Ozpin then their fates will be one of their own making and should you break are agreement, you and everyone you love will pay the price".

Salem held her hand out to the two hunters "know this, there are no second chances or do overs". Raven knelt in front of Salems hand and gently kissed her knuckle, Salem turned to Nicolas and waited for him to do the same. Nicolas closed his eyes for a brief moment before deciding to follow through with his decision, kneeling down in front of her, he gently kissed Salems hand.

"The deal is made" she said as Nicolas stood back up "you are still hunters which means you can still kill Grimm when you need to. Your free to continue your life's as you see fit but keep my warning at the forefront of your mind". Salem gave her farewell before using her power to fly away, the Grimm stood to there full height and returned to the forest.

Once they were alone in the field, Nicolas let out a heavy sigh "Ray" Raven turned to Nicolas "do you think we did the right thing"? Raven thought about it for a moment "ask me that again when we convince the others to break ties with Ozpin. Thinking about it now brought a frown to his face "I think I'm gonna need a drink" he said as he started to head back to town.

Raven followed after him "same here" a smile spread across her face "first things first though, we gotta go see Saphron". Nicolas rolled his eyes "I swear she's gonna start calling you mom if you keep doting on her like you do". Raven punched his arm "oh like you don't do the same with yang" Nicolas rubbed his arm "gotta keep an eye out for potential daughter-in-law's for when jaune gets older".

Jaune watched his father and Yangs mother until they vanished into Ansel "I never knew are families were so close". Jaune nearly lost his balance as the setting changed once more to the sky above Ansel where Salem remained hovering in the air. Taking a small knife from her pocket she cut a small line in her index finger, the black blood that emerged from her cut began to change shape until it became Grimm no bigger than a hummingbird.

Salem inspected the tiny creature to make sure it was sufficient for the task at hand, when she was satisfied with the results she allowed the Grimm to fly "keep an eye on him" she ordered. The Grimm zipped around for a few seconds before nose diving into Ansel to follow it's master's orders.

Just like before the world was engulfed by darkness before a new location was revealed. Jaune didn't know this place but it wasn't hard to figure out where he was, the photos that decorated the walls were a good indicator. "So this was my home" jaune looked around until a few voices caught his attention, inside the kitchen stood yang and ruby's parents along with his father.

"So what did you want to talk about" Qrow asked as he rummaged through the fridge until he found a bottle of beer to enjoy. Nicolas exchanged glances with Raven before turning his attention to the others "alright, what I'm about to tell you stays between us and doesn't leave this house". Summer looked to Tai and Qrow before agreeing, Nicolas took a deep breath before explaining the events that transpired a couple days ago.

"You did what" summer screamed, her voice reached such a pitch that it could have shattered glass. Nicolas crossed his arms "I did what was best for my family as did Raven" Qrow downed his bottle quickly "so, what does that mean for us"? "You can still do as you please but don't expect us to bale you out if you get in to deep, that was the deal Raven and I agreed to".

Raven turned to Tai "I also agreed that you'd no longer interfere in this as well" Tai was surprised but didn't argue "if it's for Yangs sake then I'm ok with it" he said. Summer wasn't having any of it "I can't believe any of you, Salem is evil, what makes you think she'll keep her promise"? "She let us live, isn't that proof enough" Nicolas said but Summer pressed the issue "she only let us live so we would turn against Ozpin, that doesn't mean anything".

Nicolas and summer continued back and forth, each one arguing the pros and cons of Salem and Ozpin until they both were in each others faces yelling. "Whatever you say doesn't matter, the deals been made" summer seethed with anger "the Nic I knew in Beacon was never a coward like you are"!

The room fell into silence, Nicolas's eyes narrowed "coward" his hand shot up and he grabbed summers white cloak just under her chin. "I've fought for Ozpin longer than any of you and watch my team die for his mission only to find out we never had a chance to begin with. I won't be used like a tool only to be replaced by one of my children, you wanna call me a coward, fine, at least I won't die in a pointless fight pretending to be some wanna be hero".

He pushed summer away "I've sacrificed enough" he said angrily

Summer pulled her hood over her head and stormed out the front door, Qrow followed after but stopped at the door "I'll try and talk to her" he called back before leaving. Nicolas rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration "that could have gone better" he complained while Raven and Tai nodded.

At this point jaune had become used to the sudden shifts the world took as a new scene took place.

/

Several months later

Raven and Qrow sat in the living room of Nic's home, Raven sat on the floor with a small baby in her arms as a younger Saphron asked questions about said baby. When Nicolas came into the room he carried a juice box that he gave to Saphron to keep her from talking so much. Qrow turned his head to Nicolas "what, I'm not good enough for a juice box" Nicolas chuckled "sorry that was the last one".

Qrow waved his hand dismissing the apology, Nic took a seat before asking "so what brings you by, I doubt it was for juice"? Qrow took on a serious expression "I need you to speak with summer, Nicolas rolled his eye's "what happened now"?

"She's been running herself ragged, she doesn't sleep, she rarely eats and honestly I ain't got a clue on how to deal with her". Qrow shook his head "your her best friend, she'll listen to you if you take the time to seek her out". Nicolas nodded "where is she now" he asked "Ozpin sent her to vacuo to pick up on a lead for the sudden disappearances of two of vacuos Council members" Qrow answered.

Nicolas rubbed the bridge of his nose "alright, I'll talk to her when she comes back, hopefully she won't just give me the cold shoulder as usual nowadays". Qrow pushed himself up to his feet "I can't say I agree with how summer is dealing with your absence but I do understand why she feels the way she does. Salems been are enemy for so long and we've worked together to bring her down since Beacon, finding out a close friend struck a deal with her in exchange for safety must have been pretty shocking".

Nicolas leaned back in his couch, he was right about that, siding with someone who is your enemy would be pretty jarring. Qrow stretched his arms "well I said my peace" he headed for the door but stopped in front of Saphron "keep an eye on your old man kiddo". Saphron grumbled as Qrow ruffled her hair "later Ray" after his farewells, Qrow left.

The world froze as Salem appeared beside jaune "I don't get it, everything seems just fine" jaune turned to face her. "How did we go from this peaceful life to one where everyone in Ansel was killed"?

Salem took a few steps away from jaune until she stood in front of Nicolas's froze form, turning to jaune she held out her hand in front of Nicolas "you can thank your father for that". Jaunes eyes widened in shock "what are you talking about, there's no way he would have done something to his own family". Salem nodded in agreement "your right, he wouldn't but the actions he took an hour later from this moment were what lead us to the fall of the Arc family and the destruction of Ansel".

**Part 2 of a time before, complete. Just one more chapter and all will be revealed.**


	29. Chapter 29: Downfall

**So tired of being an essential worker but more than that, I hate moving. So much to do with so little time that I feel like a zombie.**

One hour, that's all it took for a happy and safe family to be put in the crosshairs of an immortal humanoid Grimm. A part of him didn't really want to know what his father did to have Salem come through and destroy everything and yet he had a feeling he already knew. Jaune ran a hand through his hair "an Arc never goes back on there word or so the saying goes".

Salem nodded "if your father had heeded that motto, he wouldn't have set us up to be enemies". She returned to jaunes side so they could resume watching the events of the past transpire. Salem held her hand up and began pushing the memory forward until they reached the moment the deal was broken.

Nicolas held his finger out to the baby that laid next to him on the floor, a young yang xiao long cried out happily as she tried to grab hold of his finger. Raven came back into the living room "now who's doting on who"? Nicolas smirked at the comment "keep that up and she'll be calling you dad instead of Tai" Raven smiled "actually keep going" she joked.

"Still trying to get Tai and me to fight" Raven shrugged "maybe, maybe not, just want to know if I picked the right blonde to settle down with". Nicolas burst into laughter "don't let Jennifer here you say something like that, you know how my wife gets when women try to get close to me". Raven nodded "we both know if I really wanted you, even she wouldn't be able to stop me" Nicolas chuckled "I believe you lost that chance during freshman year".

"Ha" Raven said "well maybe if you really wanted a chance back then you should have acted more like a man". Nicolas shrugged "I like to think I'm more of a romantic than anything". Raven was about to say something when her body froze, turning towards the window her eyes narrowed. Nicolas knew what was happening from the way Raven sat still like she was seeing something in the distance "Summer" she said slowly.

Summer's name had him sitting up "Ray what's happening, is she ok" she didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally Raven shook her head before she spoke "it doesn't matter, we're not supposed to interfere anyways". That wasn't the answer he was looking for "open a portal" Raven glared at him "you know we can't involve ourselves in their war".

"How do we know that this is part of their war, it could just be that she's dealing with some random thugs with training".

Raven crossed her arms "what kind of thugs would have the training needed to give one of team STRQ's members any trouble"? He had to admit she did have a point, regular thugs wouldn't stand a chance against a huntsmen in training let alone a full-fledged huntress. That line of thought led him to think that the only other reason she would be in trouble is if it was a rogue huntsmen.

Nicolas shook his head "we won't know for certain unless we find out ourselves" after a moment of staring him down, Raven folded. She grabbed her katana and stood in the center of the room "I'll open the portal but your the one who's doing the rest". He nodded in return as he fastened crocea mors to his side "I'm raiding your fridge while your gone" she said just as she slice open a rift in the living room.

"Just don't touch the strawberries in the back of the fridge, last thing I need is to be killed by my wife for touching her favorite treat" he said as he walked through the portal. Once on the opposite side of the rift, Nicolas walked onto a scene that had his blood boiling. Summer wasn't just in trouble but a few seconds from death as a tall brown skinned man with a Mohawk aimed his tomahawks at her throat. Unconscious and being held up by the large beowolf, summers shoulder bled as the Grimm's teeth sunk just a little deeper.

Crocea mors was thrown like a throwing knife and impaled itself in the beowolfs neck. Summers assailant jumped back trying to put distance between himself and the newcomer. Nicolas pulled his sword free from the Grimm's neck before beheading it causing summer to drop out of it's mouth. Leaning down he placed two of his fingers against her neck checking to see if she had a pulse, he let out a breath of relief when he still felt activity in her veins.

Looking around he noticed Summers short spear a few feet away, stuck in the sand next to more Grimm that seemed to be gathering around them. Summers assailant stood tall and gathered the numerous Grimm to his side "Mr. Arc you are interfering in my mistresses affairs, I ask that you remember and honor your word". Mistress, he didn't like that one bit because now he knew for certain that if he continued to help Summer, he would be breaking his promise.

Nicolas looked down at the unconscious form of summer rose, he knew if he walked away now she wouldn't ever come back alive. His word, his promise was something he was raised to honor and fulfill at any cost but could he really turn a blind eye to what was happening here? Nicolas smirked "I will do as you have asked and honor my promise" the assailant was pleased.

The memory of him and summer in the cafeteria played in his mind as he lifted his sword and shield into place. "I promised I'd come running to help her if I had to, time for me to be a man of my word".

A smile came to jaunes face as he watched his father prepare to fight off a hoard of Grimm and a single huntsmen just to keep summer safe. How he was going to handle so many enemies was beyond him but apparently not beyond his father's scope of abilities.

Nicolas held his sword in the air as golden aura formed around it, the Grimm charged with reckless abandon in a attempt to out number there opponent. The attempt proved fruitless as Nicolas lowered his sword to his right side and with one swing the blade extended to an unimaginable size and cut through every Grimm in front of him. The Golden light around crocea mors shimmered before disappearing leaving the Smokey remains of the Grimm.

Jaunes eye's were wide while he remained in shock "that's so not fair" he managed to say. Salem chuckled from beside him "of all the semblances I've seen, your father's was undoubtedly the strongest". Jaune pushed a hand through his hair "I wonder what kind of semblance was it" Salem brought a hand to her chin as she thought about it. "I believe your father's semblance allowed him to gather the light energy from his surroundings and converted it into any shape or form he wished".

Jaune mimicked his mother's motion by bringing his hand to his chin to think "wouldn't that have made him weak during the night time? Salem shook her head "he converts not just sunlight but all types of light energy even moonlight or starlight, as long as it generates light he'll be able to use it". Just thinking about it made his head hurt "that type of semblance sounds so broke compared to everyone I know".

After a moment jaune returned his attention to the memory in front of him.

Nicolas stood atop the assailant with his sword aimed at his chest "if I kill you here, Salem will never give me the chance to explain myself, go and return to your mistress". The assailant broke into laughter "for my failure, she'll kill me anyways but if I die by your blade I sentence all you love to my fate". Before Nicolas could react, the assailant dropped his aura and took hold of crocea mors blade before pushing himself into the edge.

Nicolas was mortified at the act this man had portrayed but the assailant just smiled "give my regards to Salem, you'll be meeting her soon" he said before falling to the ground lifeless. He returned crocea mors to it's sheath before turning to Summer's unconscious form "better get you back before you actually die". He moved to her side before picking her up in a bridal carry "every woman's dream or so I heard" he said before heading back to Ravens portal.

Once on the other side of the rift he quickly took Summer to his bedroom so he could take care of her wounded shoulder. After cleaning and bandaging the wounded area, Nicolas sat at her bedside and waited for her to wake up "if I didn't know any better I would think there's something going on here" Raven said from the doorway". When Nicolas didn't respond to her joke Raven got serious "something happened over there didn't it"?

Nicolas was lost in thought until he came to a decision, standing from his chair he walked to his bedroom window. He stared into the distance trying to find the strength necessary to put word to thought.

"Raven, I want you to/"

The avian Grimm that spied on there conversation was attacked by a house cat. The memory shifted as the Grimm perished under the mighty paws of sergeant snuggles.

When the memory reformed they were in Salems castle, her past self was hard at work equipping armor for the task at hand. Sure Salem knew that her assassin killed himself but Nicolas was warned not only by her but also her assassin..."what was his name again" she shook her head "doesn't matter". She still had an example to set and Nicolas and his family were the perfect people for the job but she was going to need help.

Once she finished getting ready she headed outside of the castle to the pool of annihilation that the young brother of the gods created. Using her power to create Grimm would tire her out if she created to many so she created two large nevermores and a Griffin. "I'll just collect the Grimm in route" she said as she climb on top of the Griffin's back, with a silent command the Grimm took off into the sky.

Time passed and the memory stopped at the time before Ansel's fall, jaune felt his mouth go dry, did he really want to see this? He shook his head, no, this was necessary for him to decide what he was going to do moving forward.

The Salem of the pass stood upon a hill that overlooked Ansel, her eye's glowed a bright red as she held her hand in the air for the army of Grimm behind her to see. The moonlight shined on her like a stage light, giving her and any who looked upon her a sense of overwhelming power. Salem lowered her hand while giving the command that would seal Ansel's fate "KILL THEM ALL".

**A new week starting with a new chapter. I know I said one more chapter but I wanted to give Nicolas a little bit longer to shine as a character. We just don't know enough about jaunes family to get a good read on them but I hope my version was pretty good.**


	30. Chapter 30: history as we know it

**I actually forgot to post this since I fell asleep right after I finished it. Haven't had a good nights rest since all this overtime started, could barely keep my eyes open to finish this.**

Atop Ansel's outer wall a few of the Guard's sat around a table playing cards "can't believe I got stuck on watch, everyone knows nothing happens around here" the first guard said. "Quit your whining, you lost fair and square" the second guard leaned back in his chair and covered his eye's "it's gonna be a long night".

A loud noise came from beyond the wall that had the two guards hopping to there feet. As soon as the two guards looked over the wall they broke into a cold sweat, the first guard chuckled nervously "this is a bad dream". The second guard ignored the first and took off running towards the Bell that hung in the center of the lookout tower. Without a moment's hesitation, the guard grabbed the handle and rang it like his life depended on it.

The commander of the militia in Ansel stepped out of her office to see what the racket was all about. Quickly climbing up the stairs to reach the top of the wall she noticed the guards running around with weapons drawn and ready. The seriousness of the situation had her on high alert "what's the situation" she asked one of the Guard's that tried to run past her.

The boy looked terrified but still answered as best as he could "Grimm ma'am, more than I ever thought possible". She moved away from the young man and marched over to the wall to see exactly how many there were. The commanders eye's widened and her mouth went dry as she took a step away from the wall, she rounded on the young man who stood behind her "get Nicolas Arc here now" she yelled.

She didn't like relying on the huntsmen for protection but just this once she needed a miracle.

The young soldier skipped steps as he jumped down the stairs quickly until he hit the ground. Now on ground level he broke into a sprint down the rode until he reached the Arc household. Completely out of breath and sweating profusely, he banged on the door until someone answered.

When the door opened to reveal Nicolas Arc, the young soldier fell to his knees and begged him to save them from the Grimm. Nicolas wore a pained expression "I guess it's time" he whispered to himself before turning away from the soldier to collect his gear. Now fully armored up he marched past the young soldier and headed towards the wall.

Salem saw soldiers lining the walls, prepared to fight with everything they had, that couldn't be allowed. Salems black armor shined when she conjured flames in one hand and wind in the other "those walls have got to go". She forced the two elements together and from there unity came a ball of flame that looked like a small sun.

On the wall the commander noticed the small display of power Salem had shown and decided very quickly to call a retreat. Some of the Guard's who didn't notice Salems little display thought the commander had lost her mind and refused to budge. Their refusal to budge made them the first casualties of the battle as Salem fired the ball of fire at the wall.

The wall was close enough to see as Nicolas walked down the road or at least it was until a large explosion blew the wall to smithereens. Fire washed over houses and grass coating the land in a sea of flames the burned everything in it's path. Nicolas got to his feet as he heard the cries of the civilians who's lives were now in jeopardy from the fire.

He wanted to help them but he had to make stopping the Grimm his top priority or else they'd destroy everything anyway. Before he left he noticed the young soldier who was next to him was stabbed in the chest by a piece of wood, shrapnel from the wall. Nicolas knelt next to the young soldier and noticed he was still breathing but barely.

Internal bleeding most likely he thought as he examined the wound quickly "I'm sorry" he said as the boy stopped breathing. Guilt stabbed him in the chest cause he knew that this was all his fault, standing up he drew his sword and shifted his sheath into it's shield form. Making his way through the wreckage he came upon some of the Guard survivors that were locked in combat with the Grimm.

Nicolas didn't wait for an invitation to join the fight, activating his semblance allowed him to make quick work of the Grimm. No matter the number, all fell before his blade as he threw arks of light that sliced through numerous amounts of Grimm. Seeing Nicolas push back the line of Grimm by slaughtering dozens in a single stroke revitalized the Guard's into following his lead.

Salem watched the Grimm getting pushed back by one man and smiled "there you are" she used her power to fly through the air. landing behind a few ursa gave her a few seconds to prepare before Nicolas cut them down. His eye's widened as he saw Salem, some of the soldiers behind him moved forward to support him unaware of the creature in front of them.

Nicolas held his sword at the ready "this doesn't have to be this way" Salem smirked "yes it does". She held her hand forward and shot a ball of fire that crashed into Nicolas's shield, blasting him off his feet and sent him flying a few yards back. The soldiers jumped out of the way so they wouldn't be hit by Nicolas's flying body only to leave themselves open for when the Grimm resumed there attack.

Salem walked past the dying soldiers until she stood just a few feet from her target. Nicolas got to his feet and activated his semblance, gold light shot towards Salem as he thrusted the blade towards her. Salem lifted her hand and create a wall of dark magic that blocked crocea mors, a tentacle sprouted from her arm and quickly wrapped around Nicolas's forearm.

She pushed crocea mors away before using her tentacle to pull her target close, her hand caught his throat and she slammed him into the ground. Nicolas aura flickered but held strong, he lifted his shield and tried slamming it into her ribcage but Salems free hand stopped it. "I swore that your loved ones would pay for your mistake-" four tentacles sprouted from her back and wrapped around his arms and legs "-and I'll make you watch for good measure".

Nicolas was lifted into the air before being slammed into the ground, his aura crackled as Salem continued five more times before throwing him into a nearby building. Pushing himself to his feet he reached for his sword when Salem stepped into the building. He ducked under her first two tentacle strikes before slicing off the third tentacle that reached out.

Salem recoiled in pain which gave Nicolas the opportunity to press his advantage. Using his semblance he threw out a few arks of light that cut through Salems armor and skin, spraying their surroundings with her blood. Salem screamed in pain but never once backed away as her curse healed her body so she could be cut once more.

Salem gritted her teeth and lunged forward just as Nicolas thrusted his blade impaling her. Nicolas tried to push her away with his shield but one of Salems tentacles blocked him, one of her hands grabbed the hilt of crocea mors and pushed it further inside her gut. He couldn't get away unless he abandoned his sword but at that point he wouldn't stand a chance anyways.

Salem smiled viciously while her grip on his sword was ironclad and one of the four tentacles kept his shield away. Nicolas tried to pull away but the sword wouldn't budge, his effort to remove the sword left him open to Salems other tentacles. He swayed side to side as each tentacle crashed into him violently until eventually his grip faltered and he was knock away.

Once Salem had disarmed her prey she pulled the sword free from her stomach "how do you plan to fight me without your greatest weapon"? Nicolas pushed himself onto his feet using the wall behind him as support "I'm sure I'll think of something". Salem flipped the sword in her hand into the upright position before channeling electricity through it "better think quick".

Nicolas lifted his shield just as a bolt of lightning shot out of the sword, the force of the lighting blasted him through the wall and out into the streets. This was so unfair in so many ways that he couldn't even count them all, he rolled over and used his shield as a cane to stand. Salem glided over to him once more before lifting his sword and used the tip of the blade as a focusing point to gather her magic.

Fire gathered at the tip of the sword and with a swing of the sword the flames were unleashed. Nicolas tried to dodge but couldn't avoid the attack completely, his left leg was burned even though he still had aura. "Looks like the funs nearly over" Nicolas chuckled weakly "just kill me already, no need to drag this on any longer".

He barely had any aura left and could no longer stand on his feet due to the burn she inflicted on his entire left leg. Salem kicked Nicolas in the gut cause him to roll on his back before she stopped on his chest with her heel. A sinister smile grew across her features "Kill you now? Now why would I do that when there's still so much for us to do together".

Salem lifted the sword before thrusting it into Nicolas's side causing him to scream from the pain. She leaned forward to speak "I should tell you that the hoard you saw was only half of what I gathered". Nicolas's eye's widened in shock while Salem continued "the other half is waiting to attack any who try and escape through the other gates".

Salem removed her heel from his chest just as a few beowolfs gathered around her "time to go see the family don't you think". The beowolfs bit into his arms and legs and dragged him off in the direction of the Arc household. Using her magic she flew high above Ansel to watch the carnage unfold, people screamed in anguish and despair as friends, family and lovers were torn apart to be eaten.

Salem closed her eyes so she could see through the eyes of the beowolfs that had Nicolas pinned down in front of his family. Fear was plastered across there faces, her voice was transferred through the Grimm's mouth "watch as those you love are taken from you while you lie powerless to save them". The beowolfs charged forward and began to slice and tear the Arc family apart while Nicolas struggled, screamed and cried in vain.

A few minutes passed and the sounds of screaming were silenced by death, leaving only Nicolas alive and bleeding on the floor. The beowolf Salem controlled looked down on the broken man "do not fret for your suffering is at an end". Nicolas said nothing, he just laid there with lifeless eye's until the beowolf was released from Salems control and finished him off.

Salem opened her eyes and floated down to the ground, now there was nothing left to do but go home. She paused for a moment "I think I'll take that weapon as a souvenir" she turned in the direction of the Arc household and made her way through the town. Time had passed and all that was left of the townsfolk were red stains that smelt like iron and dirt.

The sun began to rise into the sky when she finally reached her destination, the door was broken in so she easily stepped through to see the beowolfs munching on the remains of the Arc family. She took one look at the remains and noticed something was amidst "there newborn son is missing". She look around but saw no signs of a small baby until a light caught her eye, she followed the ray of light into a room where a few Grimm were being held at bay by the babies aura.

Salem placed a finger to her lips "the amount of aura this child has is impressive but at this rate it'll only last a few more minutes".

Jaune watched as Salem contemplated over the baby, he knew the outcome but watching Grimm close in on his younger self made him uneasy. When the aura faded Salem came to his rescue and jaune let out the breath he had been holding. Salem picked up to tiny baby and cradled him in her arms, the baby smiled up at her which brought a smile to her face.

Jaune turned slightly to the present Salem and saw how intently she watched her past self with the small baby. "It seems are time is short, let us returned home" she paused for a second and touched jaunes cheek "My son" the past Salem said before she left the house with the small child. In truth, his emotions were going a bit haywire but on some level he knew Salem needed just as much support as he did.

The world darkened once more and returned to the office of lionheart, he took a step away and tried to collect his thoughts. He should hate her for what she's done but was that really fair? There was a lot of blame to go around for what transpired in the past. His father for going back on his promise while knowing the consequence, Salem for killing his family and Summer for forcing that predicament on his father in the first place.

Jaunes hand passed through his hair as he turned to Salem, she didn't say anything or even look at him until he stood in front of her. Could he hate her after everything that they've been through as mother and child, he chuckled lightly as he remembered the times of his past.

Days when he was sick and she stayed by his side until he was better or when he had nightmares and she let him sleep with her, then there were the days she read his favorite books to him.

No, it just wasn't possible to hate the only real person he considered as his mother, he smiled before he hugged her. Salem was surprised, she expected many things to happen but this wasn't one of them, she returned the gesture and held him tightly so he wouldn't see how she nearly teared up. Jaune spoke quietly so only she could hear him "I forgive you mother, for everything" he pulled away from her so they stood across from each other once more.

Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll "here-" he held out the scroll so she could see the number for his contact info "-so we can stay in touch". Salem quickly memorized it "what will you do now" she asked jaune while he put his scroll away "I'm visiting mistral with some friends so I need to get back to them". Salem nodded "if you need me, you'll know how to reach me" jaune said as he tapped his pocket where the scroll was.

Salem smiled gently "same to you, you know I worry when your not around" jaune rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Don't worry I know how to take care of myself, after all I do take after my mother" jaunes said as he headed for the door. He pulled the door open slightly before turning back to Salem one last time. "Be careful, I don't want to see you end up like how you were in the past" Salem nodded before he disappeared out the door.

**Took me a bit but here it is the final part of a time before. Welp we've come full circle and now I feel a little sad now that it's over.**


	31. Chapter 31: malevolence

**The covid-19 needs to end already cause I want to work on this more.**

As soon as he stepped out of the headmasters office he noticed Cinder and Vernal waiting for him. Closing the door behind him he walked between the two so they could walk and talk "you were in there for quite some time, anything we should know about" Cinder asked. Jaune shrugged his shoulders "nothing really, just giving our mistress a run down of all that's been happening while I've been in vale".

Cinder waved her finger side to side "oh jaune, you really shouldn't try to lie, you've never been good at it". A smile spread across his face "can't blame a guy for trying although the fact you can see through me after all this time makes me wonder if you've been spying on me". Cinder turned away from him but didn't deny his accusation, that was something he'd have to remember for later.

Vernal punched him gently in the arm to gain his attention "so what's the plan? We haven't been together like this in a while, we should celebrate with some drinks".

"I'd love to but unfortunately I've got people waiting for me and I think I kept them waiting long enough".

Vernal didn't seem very happy about that and she made that known when she pulled him into a headlock. Jaune struggled to get free but Vernal wouldn't let go "so what, your new friends are more important than us"? He turned his head slightly so he could speak "that's not what I meant" Vernal squeezed harder "then what you brought a girlfriend "?

When jaune didn't answer, both Cinder and Vernal exchanged quick looks with each other completely unaware that jaune couldn't answer because he was suffocating in vernals breast. Realizing where jaunes head was caused Vernal to drop him quickly "what the hell are doing" she screamed as she covered her chest. Jaune rubbed his throat as he took a deep breath of air "I thought I was gonna die, that would have been embarrassing".

Normally it took a lot to make cinder truly laugh but in that moment even she couldn't help the snicker that escaped through her hand as she covered her face. Vernals face turned red "what do you mean embarrassing" jaune gave her a deadpan look "you think I want people to remember I got killed by a pair of tits "? He waved a hand in front of his face before standing up "I'd rather fight Ozpin one on one then allow that to happen".

Vernal turned away angrily leaving jaune to speak a little more with cinder "I'm telling you she's definitely more violent lately". Cinder rolled her eyes at jaunes obliviousness "alright I think we've wasted enough time playing around, vernal it's time to go". Vernal sighed before following after cinder "it was nice to see you again jaune, do try to stay out of trouble" cinder said before she turned towards a separate hallway from the one he was on.

Vernal spun around to look at him "give me your number before we go since now you owe me a drink the next time we see each other".

"Sure" he exchanged numbers with her and waved her off before heading down the other hallway, now alone with his thoughts a frown formed. He had learned a lot, more than he thought possible when he first arrived and that helped lift the weight he felt but what about Saphron? If she learned the truth about what happened to their family she'd join Ozpin in a heartbeat if it meant she'd have a chance to get at Salem.

He couldn't allow that, he didn't want to choose between his families which is why this secret would stay with him only. While his mind was occupied with thoughts of possible future scenarios he ended up near the front entrance, pushing his thoughts aside he looked around. "I wonder where they took off to" he thought about it seriously but the longer he went without an answer the more worried he became.

Eventually deciding that he wasn't going to get anywhere by just thinking, he set off around the academy looking for anyone causing trouble. Yang would probably clobber him if she knew he considered ruby and her trouble magnets, honestly speaking they definitely were with how much trouble they get into. Just as predicted, he came upon a crowd of second year huntsmen that seemed to enjoy watching a few huntsmen in training take on a single girl.

Yang ducked and weaved past a few strikes until one second year aimed low and nailed her knee with his staff causing her to fall forward so two others could attack. Quite frankly four against one was definitely unfair and yet neither Coco nor ruby seemed to be up there helping her. Jaune pushed passed the crowd until he reached the front of the ring where he found both Coco and ruby watching the fight take place.

Ruby was so clearly focused on the fight that she didn't notice jaune come up behind her until he placed a hand on her head. Ruby's body froze until he spoke "hey guys I'm back" Coco and ruby turned to see him standing there watching the fight. "This fight is unfair, why aren't any of you up there helping her" ruby looked downcasted but Coco used her thumb to point to a few people nearby "if we try and help those fourth years will join in".

So they were obviously being threatened, he watched as yang was knocked off her feet leaving the four second years to surround her. Jaune sighed deeply before pushing forward to climb into the arena "well they never said anything about me" he said to his two companions. Yang quickly got to her feet and tighten her guard just in case she was attacked from any angle.

A sword wielder that stood just behind yang lifted his sword and was ready to attack when a hand caught his wrist before he could move. Yang and the rest of the students watched as jaune held the second year from moving with one hand while on his scroll with the other. "Yes headmaster there are a few of them, if you like I can take a video...understood" jaune aimed his scroll at the students that surrounded yang.

The students looked just as confused as yang felt until the sword wielder asked what he had just done. Jaune gave an innocent smile that yang recognized as one of neo's for when terrible things were about to happen. "Headmaster lionheart wanted to know which people he needed to expel for attacking an innocent visitor so I thought I'd oblige" he said as he tapped on the screen of his scroll.

Every student that was close enough to hear him began to back away but one of the fourth years stepped forward "calm down, it's obviously a lie so he could help his friend". Jaune turned to the fourth year and snapped a picture before typing something else in, after a few seconds of silence the loud speak started up and five students name's were called to lionhearts office. After putting his scroll into his pocket he turned to the fourth year once more and smiled viciously "still think I'm lying"?

The five students walked away looking very worried while jaune jumped off the stage. He'd have to remember to thank vernal for sending him Leo's contact info "didn't think I'd have to use this so quickly" he whispered to himself as he rejoined ruby and Coco. Yang was far from happy when she grabbed jaunes shoulder and spun him to face her "what the hell were you thinking butting in like that"?

He didn't really see any reason for her to be upset "maybe instead of yelling at me you should thank me for saving you". Yang gave a sarcastic laugh before rounding on him once more "save me? The only thing you did was make me look like a coward who couldn't fight there own battle" she said as she jabbed her finger into his chest. Jaune smacked her hand away "it wasn't your own battle in case you didn't notice-" he motioned to ruby and Coco "-otherwise they wouldn't have been threatened to watch helplessly while you fought and lost".

Yang clenched her fists but kept herself from just decking him and calling it a day "I didn't need their help anymore than I needed yours besides they were chumps anyways". Jaune laughed sarcastically "if they were chumps then I guess that makes you pretty weak since they were winning". Coco placed her hands on ruby's shoulders and pulled her away from the two blondes just as Yangs eye's switched from violet to red.

Her words came through gritted teeth, obviously trying to hold herself back "Don't you ever call me weak again". Jaune crossed his arms quickly but ruby managed to see the silver from his handgun "then stop acting like it". Their movement was quick as yang had ember celica pointed at his face and jaune had his gun pushed into her neck.

The angle he held his gun prevented her from punching him but she could still shoot him if she wanted to. Seconds ticked by before he spoke "we didn't come here for a fight so let's get back to enjoying are trip" yang didn't budge for a few seconds before she stood upright. Ember celica shifted back to it's compact form as she folded her arms and glared at him "I really hate you sometimes you know that". Jaune chuckled as he put his gun away "you'll love me again after I treat you to some food" yang smiled "Don't let neo hear you say something like that".

Jaune couldn't help but feel confused "why do they keep bringing neo up like that" he asked himself. Once they were all set they left back to the motel they were staying at to get some rest for the tournament tomorrow.

/

**Outskirts of mistral**

Quietly they waited for their assassin to reveal himself until Nora got bored "is he here yet"? Vernal ignored her leaving Ren to deal with her as usual "not yet" he said calmly. Sometimes she wondered why she made them her subordinates, Ren yes but Nora was a loose cannon with more energy than she knew what to do with. Vernal thought about it and remembered why, pity, that was the only reason why she took them in.

She looked to her side and saw emerald and cinder chatting about something so she decided to listen in on their conversation.

Emerald always admired cinders cold and calculating persona but seeing her act the way she did in the headmasters office puzzled her. She was nervous but she pushed through to ask "cinder" the older woman turned to regard her "about that boy we met". Cinder smiled "go on" Emerald fidgeted slightly "I was wondering who he was exactly" the question seemed innocent but cinder could read between the lines and could see the jealousy in her eye's.

Cinder mulled it over for a minute but it was vernal who answered "he's someone who's very important to are mistress". Vernal stood up and made her way over to them "he's the third person in are group who's been trained by master Alec". Ren and Nora exchanged looks with one another as Emerald frown at vernal "well he doesn't look like anything special".

This time it was cinder who spoke up "never judge a book by it's cover Emerald, that boy as you put it has the intelligence and skills capable to rival us if need be". Emeralds eyes widened in surprise "Sure he maybe good but surely he can't rival you cinder"? Cinder sighed in frustration when vernal spoke "your brown nosing makes you look like an idiot you know that".

Emerald glared at her but Vernal ignored it "what cinder said is more accurate than she's letting you believe, seeing as how she's never beaten him in a fight". Cinder frowned but didn't deny her claims "you make it seem like I'm the only one who hasn't beaten him". Vernal shrugged her shoulders "yeah, well there isn't any reason for me to see him as an enemy as you seem to".

Emerald looked between the two and couldn't really believe her ears, they both acknowledge that someone was superior to them "how"? Both cinder and vernal turned to her "how can he be better, he looked like a complete idiot that didn't know what he was doing". They were going to answer but were interrupted by a unfamiliar voice "well at least finding you all was easy".

Everyone turned towards where the voice came from to see a hooded elder man sitting on a rock "Marcus Black at your service if the price is right". Cinder quickly took charge of the situation "you were paid in advanced correct" Marcus nodded "that was just to get me out here, I'm talking about the fee for my services". Tension was rising but Marcus didn't seem to care "very well, you'll be paid an additional amount to get the job done, I'd say around what we paid in advance".

Marcus stood from his rock and smiled "I'd better get to work than" he stopped and turned to cinder "miss Nikos right"? Cinder nodded and Marcus took his leave.

"This plan of yours better work cinder" said vernal

"I've taken the time to carefully plan this and with any luck we'll have gained two new soldiers in are fight against Ozpin" she said happily.

**Bad things are happening in the shadows, just what could cinder be planning. On a different note there's yang and her problem with being weak...yeah you can thank Raven for that.**


	32. Chapter 32: Blake advances

**I probably should have let you all know I was going on vacation...my bad.**

This was the worst thing that ever happened to her "are you okay, you look kinda pale" the young man asked as he kept hold of her. Blake wanted to scream and run for her life but knew if she turned her back to the man in front of her, he'd kill her. The young man let her go when he was sure she wouldn't fall over "hmm, what's this"?

The boy reached down and picked up the book she dropped after she ran into him "the man with two souls"? He dusted the book off before holding it out to her "here, I think you dropped this" Blake looked at the book before looking back the boy. Why was he acting like she was a complete stranger, realization struck and it was obvious that he forgot about her since it had been nearly two years since they last met.

She slowly reached out and took the book from the boy "thank you" she said while trying her best to avoid his gaze. Blake still couldn't believe what was happening, it was just her luck to run into Jaune Arc, the man who killed her best friend and plagued her dreams for the past two and a half years. Luckily it seemed she would be able to get away unscathed, she couldn't have imagined this would happen when she arrived yesterday.

/

**Yesterday afternoon, White Fang HQ**

It had been a long time since she was here but being back at menagerie really opened her eye's to a lot of what the Fang was doing in the world. Terrorists, that's what the people referred to them as and quite frankly she couldn't blame them especially with how many they killed with each mission. The reality hurt but even worse then that was Adam being one of the figureheads that truly believed in faunus supremacy.

When they were together she truly believed they were doing what was best for faunus kind, how blind she was back then. Time changed her and being able to break free from the influence she was under helped her to mend the damage between her and her family that was caused by her selfishness. Blake remembered her promise to Adam, that she made before she left and true to her word she didn't let them influence her which was why she was here.

Blake pushed open the doors to the throne room where Sienna khan was in talks with Adam and the albani brothers. Adam turned towards Blake and scowled until he realized who it was that interrupted there meeting "Blake"? Sienna wore a small grin "you've arrived on time" Adam turned to Sienna once more "is she"? "That's right, I trust this clears up any problems you might have with working with a new teammate" she asked.

Adam bowed slightly "I appreciate this Sienna and I'll strive to live up to the expectations you have for me". With a wave of her hand she dismissed them both to get reacquainted with one another. The two of them hadn't seen each other in over two years but there was so little to say that they remained quite long after they left the throne room.

Adam snuck a glance in Blake's direction and noticed that she didn't look lost for words or like she was thinking at all. Something was wrong and it bothered him to no end "Blake" the ribbon on her head twitched slightly "is something wrong, you seem distant"? Blake remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a sigh "I just want to know the mission details for our next assignment".

There was definitely something wrong, they were finally reunited after all this time and yet she didn't seem as thrilled to be here as himself. Adam knew better than to push her for answers so he began explaining about the mission she'd be taking part in "it's a schnee extermination mission". Blake's eye's lowered as Adam continued proudly explaining about his master plan for destroying the schnee menace.

"We've received word from one of are undercover brethren that Jacques schnee and his three children will be attending the tournament here in mistral". A large smile spread across his face "after tomorrow the world will be rid of the greatest menace to ever plague faunus kind". Blake remained silent as she watched Adam talk about how great the world would be once the schnee were finally exterminated.

Madness, that was the only thought to cross her mind as Adam seemed to lose himself in his fantasy. If Adam truly succeeded in this plan to wipe out the schnee then he'd turn every human against them for fear of what they might do next. Her decision was clear and because of that she'd become a traitor to every faunus within their organization but that was fine since she already planned to leave anyways.

Adam stopped in front of the door that led to his bedroom "we'll be waking up early to get into position for are assault". He opened and held his door open for her to enter "I'll be sure to wake you up when the time comes my love". How many times had he called her that in the past and how many more did she swoon at the idea of being with him forever? She didn't know the answer to those questions but she did know what she was going to do to him later.

That idea had her stepping into his room fully prepared to make this final moment together one they could remember fondly. Blake felt the familiar warmth of Adams arms after the door clicked shut, his hands settled on her stomach as he pulled her close. Blake turned her head to the left allowing him access to the nape of her neck where he gently laid his lips and kissed her.

"I have missed you my beloved" he whispered in her ear as his right hand lowered from her stomach and slowly dipped into her white shorts. She moan as Adam slid his fingers passed her panties and into her pussy, the left hand slid up and cupped her Breast. Gently he teased her nipple over her vest with his left and skillfully massaged her clit with his right that almost had her knees buckling from the pleasure.

Blake leaned back into him so she could remain standing but Adam had only just begun to display his skills. His hands moved with purpose as he unzipped her shorts while he kissed her lips and tasted the sweet taste of her tongue as it tangled with his own. Before Blake realized it she was naked and helping Adam pull of his shirt as they moved closer to the bed.

Once his shirt was free and thrown to the side he leaned down and picked her up off the floor and carried her to the bed while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her back hit the soft mattress while Adam quickly undid his belt buckle and tossed away his pants along with his boxers before going back to what he was doing.

People say that sex is a magical thing but the truth is that it's embarrassing and dirty. Fortunately for the two of them, they were well passed embarrassed and driven by enough lust to not mind the sweat. Blake gasped as Adam went down on her and alternated between licking, sucking and fingering her as best he could until she was wet enough for him to enter.

Blake turned over and held her rear out for him to pleasure himself while she buried her face into his pillow. Adam forgot to take off his mask and decided to do so by tossing it across the room before shoving his dick into Blake's tight pussy. The pace he moved started out slow and with each pump he made it caused Blake to gasp and moan in equal measure.

Adam's pace pick up until he finally reached his limit and pulled out to release his cum on her ass. Now exhausted from such a miraculous event, he fell on Blake's right side and tried to catch his breath. After a few minutes Blake got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower while Adam fell asleep on the bed completely naked.

After her shower she stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes before pushing her hair away "I should probably cut it soon". Now clean she left the bathroom and noticed Adam's sleeping form "guess I'd better get some sleep for tomorrow" she said before settling in the bed. Sleep never came easy especially when it was always accompanied by his voice, everytime it was the same and everyday she woke up in a cold sweat.

She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep only to here his voice echo through her mind "I'll let you live because you tried to help me out". Even though his words spared her the pain of death she was forced to relive that moment when he pulled her away from the stairs and cut off her air supply. Throughout the years she came to control her outburst from her nightmare but it wasn't easy and it always left her tired.

The next day came and when she got up to face the day she noticed that Adam was nearly dressed and almost out the door when he noticed her. He lifted his mask and placed it on his face before speaking to her "I've sent you the location we'll be preparing in, make sure your ready to move at a moment's notice". With those last words he left her alone in his bed, she didn't waste anytime in getting ready for the mission.

Gambol shroud was strapped to her back after she was fully dressed and ready for the task at hand. As she was about to leave she noticed a book on Adams draw "the man with to souls" she read before picking up the book "no telling when they'll start the mission. Better to keep the mind occupied until it's time" she took the book and quickly left the hideout for mistral.

Blake pulled out her scroll as she ran through the streets of mistral to get to her targets location "great maybe I'll- gah" she crashed into someone who just came around the corner. She nearly fell back when two strong hands caught her "I'm so sorry" jaune exclaimed as he helped her stand upright. As soon as her eye's met his, she began to turn pale as fear took root in her soul "are you okay, you look kinda pale"?

Jaunes eye's traveled down to the space between them and realized that maybe he was invading her personal space and quickly let her go when he was sure she wouldn't fall over. When he took a step back he felt his foot tap into something "hmm what's this"? He reached down and scooped up the book before holding it up so he could read "the man with two souls" he wondered if it was any good?

After he dusted off the book he held it out for her to grab "here, I think you dropped this. Blake hesitated for a brief second before grabbed the book "thank you, please excuse me" she said before rushing passed him.

Jaune watched the dark haired girl until she was far enough to not see how his eye turned cold and a frown formed on his face. "White fang" he whispered to himself.

**Got the new final fantasy 7 and persona 5 Royal to play. Spent a good deal of my vacation on the ps4.**


	33. Chapter 33: team up

**I really need to work on this more but there's so much to do and my focus keeps slipping lol.**

Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out the ticket he received from Coco "sorry Coco, ruby, yang but I can't let this slip by me". The ticket fell to the floor as he dashed after the black haired woman that worked for the Fang. He made sure to keep a good distance from the girl as he tailed her through several streets until she stopped in an alleyway.

There in the alley were two individuals waiting for the girls arrival, one he recognized immediately as Adam Taurus and the other was just some grunt. Jaune forced his aura into his legs before jumping up onto the small building in one leap. He snuck over to the edge of the roof to listen in on the conversation that was taking place below.

When Blake arrived she had a bewildered look that had Adam on edge, he reached out and grabbed her shoulders before giving her a small shake "Blake, what happened"? Blake took a moment to collect herself before trying to answer "Arc, he's here in mistral" the words were like a slap to his face. Adam gritted his teeth and unconsciously he squeezed her shoulders harder causing Blake to flinched at the pain.

Adam scowled in anger "where is he" he demanded as he shook her but Blake shook her head and tried to pull away from him "I don't know". She lifted her hands and pushed them against Adams chest forcing him to let her go, realizing his mistake he turned away and clenched his hands "forgive me Blake". His anger had gotten the better of him once more and it was all because of that human who continued to be a constant thorn in his side.

Adam would have loved nothing more than to change his objective to the Arc human but the schnee were more important. He punched the nearby wall in frustration before turning back to her "we have are mission, we'll deal with Arc after we eliminate the schnee's". Adam motioned to the grunt "you'll work under Blake's command, remember to wait for the signal when we've surrounded the targets". The grunts nodded before moving to Blake's side, Adam turned to Blake"remember, we're trying to box them in so none escape".

Blake nodded slowly to show she understood the plan before following the grunt out of the alley. Adam watched Blake leave before letting out a sharp breath "just you wait Arc, your next" he said before he too left to get into position.

"The schnee huh" jaune had his gun in hand just in case he needed it, he stood up and moved in the direction Blake and the grunt went. The duo he was following wasn't hard to find since the grunts outfit stuck out like a sore thumb and the fact that the cat lady was slowing down for him to keep up. Once close enough to get the jump on them, he made his move, jumping off the building to the closest enemy.

Blake's ear twitched as she heard the sounds of someone near who was also running. From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow float across the floor and quickly jumped away while pulling gambol shroud off her back. The grunt that followed behind didn't get a chance to defend himself when jaunes foot crashed into his back.

The faunus's face slammed into the concrete as jaune used him like a skateboard and slide to a stop. "One down" he said as he stepped off the unconscious faunus and towards the cat woman in front of him. Blake's hands began to shake the moment she saw who there assailant was, memories of the faunus who died in the boat began to surface and caused her to hesitate.

Gambol shroud was pointed at the man in front of her but she couldn't pull the trigger for fear that this time he would end her life. Jaune raised a brow in confusion, this was usually the part where they started fighting but instead of putting up a fight the cat girl dropped her weapon and raised her hands. "Please wait, I'm on your side" she pleaded, jaune aimed the barrel of the gun at her but didn't pull the trigger.

Normally he would have just killed them both and ignored the cat girls attempts to talk, he smiled as an image of ruby pouting pushed it's self to the forefront of his mind. That innocent naivete of hers was gonna be a problem one day but he couldn't deny her ideas of grandeur had a certain aller to them. "Fine but first I want you to kick your weapon over to me, do that and then we'll talk" he said, Blake nodded before complying with his request.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair as he sighed deeply "looks like talking it is" he grumbled to himself. "Alright, you said you were on my side but what did you mean by that"?

Blake lowered her hands slowly so he wouldn't think that she was trying to pull something and made sure to keep her hands in his line of vision. "Your trying to stop the fang right? That's what I'm trying to do too".

Jaune chuckled darkly "why should I believe you of all people? I guess you've forgotten that you were one of the faunus's that locked me up and tortured me two years ago.

Blake clenched her hands "that wasn't my idea and besides if you recall you said that I helped you escape". Jaune had a surprised look on his face "you heard me say that? How, you should have been unconscious"?

Blake crossed her arms "well I wasn't".

Jaune lowered his gun and let out another sigh "it would have been so much easier if I just shot her but noooo". He paced back and forth for a few minutes lost in thought until he came to a halt "fine" he turned to her "your coming with me to stop the fang". Blake waited for the other shoe to drop but it never came "wait that's it"? Jaune gave a shrug "what, did you want me to shoot you and leave you here"?

Blake quickly shook her head "no, I was just surprised that you'd trust me so easily". There was a brief moment of silence before jaune broke into laughter "oh trust me, I trust you about as far as I can throw you which isn't very far". That sounded about right to her "then why ask me to help you"? Before he could answer the faunus he knocked out earlier woke up and tried to move only for jaune to knock him back out with a kick to the jaw.

"I really thought he'd be out longer after eating the cement like that-" jaune smiled innocently "- guess faunus must be a lot sturdier than I originally thought". Jaune turned back to Blake "to answer your question, I'm not asking but telling and if it turns out your lying...well". Blake's instincts told her to run as jaunes face became devoid of any emotion "I'll make sure you suffer so much that you'll beg me to kill you".

Just like that the intense atmosphere that had her breaking into a cold sweat was broken when he smiled once more "we should get going or we'll be late". Jaune walked up to her frozen form and placed gambol shroud back in her hands before reaching up and removing the bow that hid her cat ears. Blake watched as jaune dragged the unconscious faunus to a nearby street sign and tied him up with her black bow.

"That should take care of that for now" he reached down and picked up the shotgun the faunus dropped and looked it over "spoils of war, don't mind if I do". He motioned for her to lead the way which she complied with all the while thinking that she struck a deal with a monster.

As they ran through the city jaune asked her a few questions "name" Blake looked to him from the corner of her eye "Blake Belladonna". Jaune nodded "you already know my name so we'll skip that and move on to the part where you tell me your plan for stopping the fang". Blake was silent until jaune asked a very simple question "you do have a plan don't you"? Just like before she didn't answer.

Jaune let out another sigh as he shook his head "I guess we'll be making it up as we go" he said while they raced to their destination.

At a landing pad near haven academy the schnee family stepped off their personal aircraft and was met by several armed soldiers from Atlas. Winter schnee took point and led her family to the limousine that would deliver them to Mistrals colosseum. Just before they reached the limousine winter noticed someone sitting on the roof while the driver laid on the concrete unconscious. Upon closer inspection she noticed it was their faunus butler and driver who laid on the floor "what is the meaning of this"?

Winter glared at the man that sat on the roof of the limo "come on Winter, we don't see each other in years and that's the first thing you ask me" the man replied. She didn't know why but hearing this man talk so casually to her only made her angrier but more than that he had the audacity to wear a white fang mask in her presence.

The man hopped off the limo which caused the atlesian soldiers to take aim "identify yourself or we will use lethal force" she ordered.

The man placed both his hands up in a mock surrender "alright alright no need for violence sheesh". The man removed his mask to reveal himself, the soldiers gasped as Winter's eyes widened "Arc"? Jaune gave a two finger salute "like I said it's been years" Winter's saber came free and she pointed it towards his face.

"I thought you died a long time ago since the Atlas military couldn't find you anywhere" the tip of her saber slide gently across his cheek before stopping at his neck. "Looks like I'll be getting a promotion soon" jaune smiled sweetly before Jacque spoke up "don't get so hasty winter". The strained voice caused her to turn her head which jaune took as his opening to knock her saber away from his face and point his shotgun at hers.

"How the tables have turned" he said as Winter's eyes took in the fact that a faunus not only snuck up behind them but also took Jacques hostage. Winter glared at jaune "what do you want"? Jaune looked passed her to Jacques schnee "my apologies for the rough treatment but it was necessary to get you to hear me out". Jaune turned back to Winter once more "first tell your men to drop there weapons" after a few seconds she did as she was told and had her men stand down.

"Good, now we have much to talk about".

**Done and done now back to Call of Duty warfare.**


	34. Chapter 34: catching a bull

**Writer's block has descended so this chapter's a meh for me.**

Jaune took the time to explain the situation to them all, starting with the spy that leaked their travel plans to Mistral. He motioned to the unconscious driver indicating that he was the spy he was talking about. Winter glared at the faunus for a second before turning back to jaune "do you have any proof for your accusation"?

Jaune nodded and held out the mask he wore when they arrived "found this hidden under the drivers seat along with a single hand gun. From what my partner has told me-" he nodded towards Blake so Winter would know who he was talking about "-this guy was supposed to drive you all to the ambush site. There he was to turn on you to buy time for the rest of the fang to spring there trap, as you've no doubt guessed.

Winter gritted her teeth in anger "first a breach in security and now a plot to destroy my family, why am I not surprised. I'm assuming you revealed yourself to me and are doing this because you've got something else in mind than doing the fangs job for them? Jaune smirked "yeah, I got something in mind" Winter let herself relax a little at his confirmation.

"So, what do you want from me"?

"First a question, do you want that promotion you were talking about"?

Winter didn't really know how to respond to that so she answered honestly "of course I want that promotion, once I get it I'll be a specialist like I've always wanted". Jaune nodded to her words "that's good cause the fang is being led by the renown terrorist Adam Taurus". Winter's eye's widened at the news "with you and your men's help we can put him away for good, of course with me being a criminal in Atlas you'll just have to take all the credit".

She could see what he was getting at easily but that posed a question she needed answered "what's in it for the two of you if I take the credit"? Jaune shrugged in response "revenge for me and as for her-" he stared at Blake for a moment before turning back to Winter "-I don't know".

Revenge? What kinda problem did a wanted fugitive and a terrorist have with each other? She decided to think about it later "fine, I can agree to this but this still doesn't change anything between us". Jaune pulled the shotgun away from Winter and leaned it against his shoulder "do we really have to be enemies? I mean I don't really hate you or anything"?

Winter crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving look "if you didn't want us to be this way you shouldn't have attacked your father". Jaunes eye's hardened as he stood a little taller "that man is not my father, he was my captor" at his words she took a step forward so she stood face to face with him.

"Do not slander the General with your shameless accusations".

He could see the anger behind her calm expression but even still "I'm sure you think I'm lying about your precious General but what happened back then was what he deserved". Winter made to argue but jaune ignored her "we're wasting time talking about this so let's get to deciding what's going to happen next already".

/

Adam looked out from the side of a nearby building "this is strange" he turned to his lieutenant "they should have been here by now". The lieutenant took Adams position by the building and looked around the corner "I don't know boss, you think we should abort"? Adam looked at his scroll and was debating if he should call it when his lieutenant called out to him again "boss, here they come".

There was an unexpected sense of thrill that came from knowing that in just a few short minutes the world would change by his hands. Adam placed his hand on his sword and waited until the limo came to a halt before ordering all white fang members to move in. Once the limo was completely surrounded by his men and Blake, he walked over to the back seat and pulled open the door fully expecting to see a few terrified white haired individuals but instead what he got was a whole lot of nothing.

In the back seat sat a pouch that held fire dust within and propped next to it sat a white card with the word boom printed on the front. Jumping back with all his might prevented the worst from happening when a small click came from the pouch and the fire dust ignited causing the limo to explode. The remaining white fang members who remained around the limousine when it exploded were either killed or badly wounded.

At the sound of the explosion Atlesian soldiers rushed forward from nearby buildings with guns at the ready. Adam pushed himself to his feet and began to retreat when Blake appeared before him covered in soot and dirt. She reached out and helped him down the alley that he originally came from "your okay? I thought you got caught in the explosion like everyone else.

Blake's eye's were serious until she looked at him "the moment I saw you jump back I knew something was wrong so I used my semblance with ice dust to get away". Adam couldn't help but smile at that "at least your okay, I would have stayed if you were hurt" it was a lie but he had to give her that assurance. He gritted his teeth in anger as they ran out of the alley and down the street "Damn those schnee's, I'll make them pay for this" he spat before coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

A short distance away and walking towards the two faunus was a blonde haired man with a handgun drawn. The closer the man got the more Adams anger rose as he realized who stood before him. The man put his free hand on his waist before he addressed the red haired faunus "Adam Taurus, it sure has been a while".

Adam gritted his teeth so hard a creaking sound could be heard "I feel like such a fool, actually believing that you wouldn't somehow intervene in my historic mission. When Blake told me she'd run into you, I believed it a coincidence but now I see it was intentional". Adam aimed his sheath at jaune "I guess in the end it doesn't matter because your nothing but a fool for facing me alone".

Jaune wanted to laugh at the fact that Adam believed this was all some elaborate plan to sabotage him. When in actuality it was a improvised plan born from the minds of three individuals, one of which he hadn't yet realized was a traitor. Jaune aimed his handgun at the red haired faunus before letting him in on a little secret "whoever said I came alone"?

A ball of flame shot towards Adam from the top of a nearby building but the red haired faunus blocked it with his sword, the force caused his blade to shine a bright crimson before returning to normal. Adam pushed the sword back into it's sheath before looking up at a white haired woman he recognized as Winter schnee. A quick look to jaune before turning his back to Winter had Adam smiling "a schnee and my most hated enemy, together, It's not what I planned but it'll do just as well".

Adam lowered his stance to prepare for combat while Blake took a step back to put distance between them. Jaune reached up with his left hand and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun that he had on his back before aiming the handgun Ironwood gave him behind him and fired.

The gravity dust launched him like a missile through the air and towards his enemy.

Adam was ready to intercept his target when he was taken by surprise from behind by a side kick that was delivered to the center of his back. His eye's widened behind his mask as he turned to see that it was Blake who had knocked him off balance. The shocking betrayal left Adam opened to fall victim to jaunes attack as the shotgun he wielded like a club smashed into the bull faunus's face, shattering his mask and throwing him back.

Adam tried to regain his footing by jaune didn't let up and moved to strike him with the shotgun once more only for Adam to block it with his sword. The Blade shinned a bright crimson as Adam stored the power in his blade, Blake shot the back of Adams legs causing him to be pushed away. Jaune spun the shotgun in his hand before aiming the barrel at his target before firing a shot that had Adam sliding back towards the sidewalk.

A white glyph appeared under Adams feet and launched him into the air where Winter awaited on a glyph of her own. In the air with no way to recover his bearing, left Adam to receive the full brunt of Winter's charge. The attack sent them flying into a nearby buildings wall where Adam was left buried in the brick like structure.

Blake thought it was over but a red blast of aura quickly cut her relief as Winter was pushed away by Adams semblance. Jaune watched as Winter backflipped in the air before landing on the ground and with a quick back step she landed next to him.

"He's tougher than I gave him credit for" jaune said as a small smile formed on his face. Winter glanced at him from the corner of her eye before looking back to the faunus they were facing "I suppose" she returned. Adam pushed his way free from the rubble and dropped to the sidewalk below, he lifted his face and glared at all of his enemies.

His working eye flickered between them before settling on Blake "a traitor" the word caused her to flinch but Adam moved his eye to jaune. "The coward" once more his gaze moved to the last person in there group "and a schnee, really think they can stop what I represent? What the white fang represents? Don't make me laugh" he yelled furiously.

Jaunes tired sigh caught Adams attention "you think this is a joke human? I'll bathe the streets with your blood"! Winter didn't wait for an invitation as she rushed forward using a glyph to increase her speed while Blake followed after to provide support. The battle raged as Adam fought desperately to hold two of his enemies at bay when a thought struck him, why wasn't jaune Arc helping them?

Patiently waiting on the sideline for his turn left jaune with a lot of time to look over his current equipment. A red slash cut through Blake's torso and sliced her in halve, luckily it was only a clone and not the actual person. Honestly jaune hated this part of the plan but according to Winter it was necessary. Adam's aura crackled as Blake fired shot after shot into his back while Winter attacked from the front to draw his attention.

The scarlet blade Adam wielded stabbed into the ground to act as a makeshift cane for the bull faunus to stand up with. Beads of sweat dripped from Winter's and Blake's face as they took positions to engage once more. Jaune on the other hand couldn't help but feel impressed with the bull faunus's ability to stave off his two opponents.

In all battles fought there are winners and there are losers but each battle won always came at a price. Some costs more than others but for this fight, the cost to Blake meant being unable to return to menagerie since she would now be labeled a traitor to the fang. A loud bang rang out from jaunes shotgun, knocking the red katana out of Adams hand leaving him open for Winter's attack.

The bull faunus struggled to the best of his ability but in the end Winter's training proved to be too much and Adam was subdued. Adam's face was pressed into the cracked concrete floor "coward" he yelled as he struggled to look up at jaune. Winter tightened the restraints on Adam's body before turning to Blake and jaune "now that I have him in custody are partnership is dissolved. I would ask that the both of you vacate the area before the task of apprehending you is brought to my attention".

Jaune got the message loud and clear "I'm gonna miss you too Winter" the comment earned him a fierce glare. He lifted his hands up in a mock surrender "alright alright I'm leaving" jaune said as he turned away to leave. Winter watched both jaune and the cat faunus Blake leave down the road, left alone with her captive, a small smile graced her face "it's not like I hate you huh"?

**Done for now.**


	35. Chapter 35: childhood friend

**Where has my inspiration gone?! I remember back in the day when I used to post chapters every day...maybe it's because I'm trying to make my chapter's longer or something.**

Ten minutes of walking and jaune came to a stop so he could address the elephant in the room or the cat that followed. He turned to Blake but didn't quite know how to approach the subject so he went with the old fashioned answer and decided to be direct with her. Jaune coughed into his hand to get her attention "so, any idea what you plan to do now"?

Blake was deep in thought when jaunes question brought her out of it, truthfully she didn't put much thought into it before now. Her right hand latched on to her left arm, it was a nervous tick but she didn't really see any reason to hide her insecurity. "I'm not really sure yet, I just know I can't go back to menagerie or remain here in mistral for too long".

Jaune watched her for a few seconds before asking "anything I could do to help with your current housing problem"? She shook her head "it's kind of you to offer but we both know there's still not a chance you trust me". Jaune couldn't help the smile the grew on his face "we barely know each other and already you know me well".

Blake didn't know if that was a complement or not but it didn't dissuade her from what she really wanted from him. "Actually, there is something I was hoping to talk to you about, if you have time?

Jaune pulled out his scroll and saw the thirty seven missed calls from Coco, ruby and yang along with fifteen messages. Opening the last message sent to him had his face turning pale before he quickly pocketed. He was gonna kill junior for this "I've got plenty of time to talk" he said as calmly as possible but even Blake could see he was trying to hide from someone or something.

She followed after jaune until they reached a small diner where she could finally get the answers she wanted. Once seated, jaune quickly looked through the menu and ordered a cheeseburger while Blake chose a some fish and chips. Jaune leaned back in his seat and brought his iced tea to his lips for a quick sip before giving Blake his undivided attention.

"You said you had questions for me and I understand why but remember if I think it's to personal I'll refuse to answer". Blake nodded in understandment and jaune motioned for her to speak "I wanna know why you killed ilia". Jaune crossed his arms as he thought about her question until he shook his head and looked at her once more "I don't know anyone named ilia".

Blake's hands clenched tightly under the table in anger, he killed her and added one more faunus to his ever growing list of victims. Flexing her hands under the table and taking a deep breath slowly allowed her to reclaim her composer. The waiter brought their food, setting each dish in front of the one who ordered it before departing back to the kitchen.

Blake sat quietly as jaune munched on his cheeseburger without a care in the world. Reaching over for her food, Blake slowly ate her fish while she thought up a way to get him to remember ilia. A idea crossed her mind as she finished her fish "the girl that bandaged your leg after Adam stabbed you, you remember her right".

It took a small bit of time before jaune fully remembered "oh yeah, I remember there was someone like that". Jaune realized what she was trying to get at "I believe the last time I saw her, she was alive and well". Blake glared at him "she was alive and well, at least until you killed her when she went to find you after you escaped".

Jaune could feel the anger in her words but unfortunately for her, he just couldn't bring himself to feel bad for someone who was clearly another enemy. After popping a single fry in his mouth he looked to her once more "I didn't kill her but at least she's no longer around to care what I think". Blake slammed both of her hands on the table as she stood up "your no better than a monster" she hissed angrily.

Her reaction was about what he expected so it didn't really bother him, taking another fry and popping it in his mouth he stood from his own seat. Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out a few lien to pay the bill but before he left for the cashier "I may be a monster but at least I don't pretend I'm not". Blake glared daggers into jaunes back as he left to pay for his food before leaving her alone in the diner with her thoughts.

/

**Mistral Tournament Grounds**

A few hours before jaunes operation against the fang, there was a fan meet and greet for the champion. Pyrrha sat behind a small desk and shook hands with several fans as they wished her good luck on her matches. She had done this several times before but even so she still felt nervous at the thought that so many people wanted to meet her.

The next person who came up was a small girl in a red cloak who seemed even more nervous than she felt. A blonde girl behind her pushed the little girl forward towards the table "if jaune was here he'd be laughing at you right now ruby". The small girl seemed to take offense to the blondes words "no he wouldn't, jaunes too nice to do something like that".

The name alone had pyrrha's body freezing up "jaune" she said quietly, that was the name of her friend from so long ago. Her hand touch the black cloth hanging from around her neck, it could have been a coincident if there friend had the same name but what if? The girl ruby seemed to find the courage she needed to speak to her "hi, I'm ruby rose and I you do well in today's tournament".

Pyrrha didn't answer at first cause she was still lost in thought when her manager coughed loudly to snap her out of it. Pyrrha's hand left the cloth and her demeanor changed as she shook the young girls hand "thank you for the support". After ruby came the blonde and then a brunette with sunglasses, leaning back slightly so her manager could hear her, she asked to have those three meet her on the side.

The manager nodded and quickly moved around the table to speak with the three girls leaving pyrrha to deal with the elder gentleman that came to greet her. The instant she took his hand there was this sense of wrongness that she couldn't quite place. The elder man simply smiled at her and left, pulling her hand up so she could inspect it, pyrrha couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

The rest of her fans came and went slower than she hoped they would but eventually the time for greetings came to an end and she was free to do what she really wanted. Leaving the workers behind she made her way over to her manager and the three girls who seemed oddly happy for some reason. The smallest girl ruby saw her approach and moved so quickly she barely had a chance to hide the shock in her face.

Ruby bounced up and down and spoke so quickly that pyrrha could only pick out about half of what she was saying before the blonde appeared behind ruby and pulled her back by her hood. The small girl struggled to stay on her feet while the blonde pulled her back slowly so there was a respectable distance between them. "Sorry about that my cousin is usually so shy about talking to new people that it usually takes a while to make friends".

Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle at the two girls as ruby struggled to get her hood free but yang pulled her into a headlock and ruffled her hair. Yang let ruby go and turned back to pyrrha "so your manager said you wanted to talk to us about something"?

"There was someone ruby spoke of earlier that I want to know more about, I believe his name was jaune if I'm not mistaken".

Yang watched pyrrha with a cautious gaze "yeah his name is jaune, is there any reason that you'd want to know"?

Pyrrha could feel a slight edge in Yangs tone and if she wasn't mistaken so could both ruby and Coco since they both seemed to look uncomfortable. To defuse the intense atmosphere she gave her best smile and spoke plainly about her reason for asking "the truth is the name jaune isn't very common. I once had a childhood friend named jaune but he left mistral a long time ago and I was wondering if your jaune was actually the same jaune that I knew".

Yang didn't really know how to answer that but ruby spoke up instead "was your jaune blonde with blue eye's"? It was a valid question since there'd be no point wondering if they didn't even look the same. Pyrrha's smile grew in size "yes he did and he was light skinned as well, the last time I saw him he also wanted to be strong so he trained a lot".

The more she spoke of jaune the more enthusiastic she became until ruby fished out her scroll and brought up a picture of yang and jaune getting ready to spar. Pyrrha took the scroll and stared at the picture, his appearance had changed slightly and he grew taller but there was no mistaking it. The way pyrrha's expression softened had Yangs hand clenching tightly, it was one thing for neo to act like his girlfriend since jaune couldn't even tell she liked him like that.

The sudden realization that another girl and not just any girl but Mistrals champion, a celebrity, had feelings for him as well just didn't sit well with her. Coco tapped Yangs shoulder to gain her attention "if you keep glaring at her like that she's gonna notice". Pyrrha's manager interrupted their conversation to address her client "pyrrha, I'm afraid it's time we moved on from here since the tournament will begin shortly".

Pyrrha returned ruby's scroll to her before following after her manager "I hope we see each other again, maybe after the tournament" she called back. Ruby waved energetically to the retreating champion "good luck, we'll make sure jaunes with us next time". Now that pyrrha was gone yang could relax and take a deep breath to calm herself unfortunately her reprieve was interrupted when she remembered that they still needed to find their seats.

Finding there seats was easy enough but the tournament they hoped to see was anything but, especially when the unthinkable happened.

Pyrrha pushed herself off the ground, her bruised and battered body was covered in dirt but she wasn't about to give up but unfortunately it wasn't her decision. The referee held his Mic up for all to see "and there we have it ladies and gentlemen, for the first time Pyrrha Nikos has been defeated". The crowd was shocked into silence but none felt more surprised then pyrrha herself.

**Well now that was something else.**


	36. Chapter 36:Amazon's downfall

**Monday's, the worst day of the week in my opinion especially when it starts with some nasty orange Tea...ugh the shit was nasty.**

Stepping in to the ring against the one person who took your title, your fame and your self esteem should have caused him great despair, only it didn't. Roy Tanner the previous champion had continued to train even after his loss in the hopes he would one day reclaim his title but pyrrha, the new champion always won. Eventually as time went on and more losses began to stack his will to continue began to wane until he decided this tournament would be his last.

His decision and this matchup felt almost predestined to the fact that his final tournament would begin and end in the first match against pyrrha. Roy looked up to the crowd and heard them chant pyrrha's name "if this is how it must end-" his eye's narrowed on pyrrha "-then I shall end it with everything I have to offer". Roy pulled free his shaolin broad sword and spun it around his body so artfully it could have been mistaken as a dance until he pointed it's edge at his enemy.

Pyrrha took her position just opposite of her opponent and settled into a stance she was most comfortable with. Their eye's met each other's, their determination to win burning behind their glare until the announcer signalled the beginning of the match. Roy launched a flurry of sword strikes with such speed that each time his sword clashed with her shield a shower of sparks would illuminate the the arena floor.

The crowd had begun to fall silent as they watched awe inspired at the display of skill the previous champion showed. Each attack carefully led to the next and before too long it felt like she was trying to stave off a man made whirlwind of steel. If she hadn't been redirecting his attacks away from herself she was certain that she'd have fallen to his onslaught.

Roy noticed that she hadn't so much as swung her sword or tried to put distance between them which only meant she was studying his movements. He couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought that she was underestimating his true capabilities. That was fine with him because the moment she moved to attack was the moment the fight truly began.

Pyrrha remember the countless times she faced the man in front of her and each time she needed her semblance to strike true. Sounds that Roy created mixed with his aura to create a frequency that hindered body mobility if pyrrha remembered correctly. Normally that would prove to be a semblance that would make winning nearly impossible but if it wasn't for her own semblance that is.

Diverting another slash with her shield she focused her semblance on her sword and thrusted it forward but Roy spun away from the blade. His eye's widened as he saw an opening, his broad sword swung true and caught pyrrha's wrist causing her to yelp as her aura flickered. His attack landed and if that wasn't surprising enough it seemed even pyrrha herself was just as surprised by the result.

He needed to be cautious but seeing her get injured by one of his attacks sparked hope that maybe he could pull off a win this time. His body responded to his desire and he was off again, moving like the wind with speed that threaten to overwhelm the current champion. The crowd could feel the shift of the competition and slowly the chants began again but this time it was with a different name then before.

Another attack so easily dodged that he didn't really even have to bother with it but just to be safe he picked up his tempo and ducked under her sword before pushing into her guard. Pyrrha felt the pummel of his sword crash into her chest which caused her to try and put distance between them before shifting her sword into it's rifle form.

Pyrrha fired off four shots but noticed he only blocked one before giving chase which ment her body was still being affected by his semblance. She just couldn't understand what was happening to her, her semblance wasn't activating or she'd have been in control of this fight earlier. Shifting her weapon to it's spear form she tried to hold Roy back but with her body not responding like it should and her semblance not helping she caught a glimpse of the difference in there abilities.

Ruby watched as pyrrha's guard fell to shambles and her opponent move in to deliver such devastating strikes that had her flinching involuntarily. Her eyes shot up to the screen that showed their aura gauges and watch as pyrrha's took a nose dive into the red. Pyrrha crashed onto the arena unarmed and battered while Roy stood tall with one foot pressed on her shield and his sword raised high.

Pyrrha pushed herself to her feet cause she had no intention of being defeated here not when she promised jaune she'd be strong like him. Unfortunately for her the choice was taken out of her hands completely when the announcer stepped into the ring and declared her the loser to everyone. The crowd was silent for a few seconds before they roared to life with chants for the man who defeated the invincible girl.

Although she had just lost her mind was on another problem, jaune was here to see this tournament which meant he probably watched her lose. Tears trailed down her face at the reality that she failed in her promise to the one person she didn't want to disappoint. Pyrrha quietly pick up her weapons and left the arena with a heavy heart.

Inside her dressing room her manager was busy on the scroll trying to keep interviews and commercial from backing out on them because pyrrha was no longer a champion. Pyrrha didn't bother to speak up instead she changed out of her gear and left without her manager's permission. Walking through the abandoned streets of mistral because most people were at the tournament allowed her to try and push her heartache away.

A doors busted open in a nearby diner with a cat faunus she didn't recognize rushing out before turning away and down the street. When she didn't see what she wanted the cat faunus turned her way and rushed over to her "excuse me but you did you happen to see a tall blonde man come through here"? Pyrrha quickly shook her head and the cat faunus seemed to get angrier than she was already before moving passed her to find her missing man.

"I feel sorry for whoever that man is that made her angry" pyrrha said before heading in the opposite direction towards a park she knew was close by. She didn't expect to run into anyone but life had a funny way of throwing a curve ball when she reached her lowest point. Sitting in a swing at the park was a man with his hoody over his head that seemed to be doing nothing but staring out into space.

Pyrrha chose to ignore him and moved to sit on a empty bench when the man stood up and turned towards her. He seemed to hesitate at first but found the courage to push forward "excuse me do you happen to know if the mistral tournament is still going on"? Pyrrha regarded him for a few seconds before giving him a friendly smile "yes it is" the man nodded before coming to some realization.

He placed a hand behind his head and rubbed it gently "I'm sorry I kinda forgot to introduce myself " pyrrha chuckled softly "so did I it seems, I'm Pyrrha Nikos it's nice to meet you". The man in the hood seemed to stiffen slightly "Pyrrha Nikos" his tone was soft as he repeated her name. Pyrrha couldn't help but feel nervous since this man in front of her was probably a fan and knew her name.

The hooded man reached up and dragged his hood down revealing blonde hair and blue eye's that had pyrrha freezing in her spot. The man gave her a soft smile "hi I'm Jaune Arc and guessing by your reaction you probably remember who I am". Pyrrha flew off the bench and nearly tackled him to the ground but jaunes quick thinking and fast reflexes allowed him to catch her without falling back.

His hands settled on the small of her back while she had her face buried in his shoulder "I glad to see you too" he whispered to her. They stood there in each others arm's for a few minutes before pyrrha pulled away but not far enough to let him go. She truly didn't think she'd see him again and when she met ruby at the tournament she had hope that this would happen.

Pyrrha looked at the man jaune had grown into and had to say he looked better than the photo ruby showed her. She opened her mouth to say something but what she started with was enough to have jaune looking surprised.

"I'm sorry".

**Truth be told I wasn't sure if I wanted these two to meet again before Beacon but Idk this is what happens when I let the story write itself. Should probably do that more often.**


	37. Chapter 37 mistral arc end

"I'm sorry".

Jaune's body tensed slightly at her words as his eye's began to scan the park they were in. Nobody but the two of them were around so he guessed he wasn't about to be fighting for his life to get away. Jaune turned his attention back to pyrrha "what's there to be sorry about"? She didn't meet his eye's when she spoke "I was in the tournament but got eliminated in the first round" her voice cracked as she tried to hold back her tears.

Pyrrha's hands let him go and she took a step away from him "we promised we would be strong but I guess I'm not as strong as I thought". Jaune's middle finger flicked off of pyrrha's forehead causing her to take another step away from him. Her eye's looked up at him only to see a smile on his face "come on pyr even you can't be that dumb" when it was clear she didn't understand he let out a tired sigh.

"Do you remember that time I sparred with that man Qrow back when we were kid's"?

Pyrrha thought about it for a few minutes before she remembered "That elder man with black hair and the red cape right"? Jaune nodded "yeah well before him there was my master who kicked the crap out of me everyday because I was weak at the time". Pyrrha winced at the news that jaune had received such harsh training in the past.

"Anyways like I was saying. Those defeats allowed me to get stronger because I was still alive to learn from them. Since your technically still alive after your loss now it just means there's still more room to grow or at least that's how I see it".

She thought about it for a few minutes before she giggled "when you put it like that I guess I was worrying for nothing. By the way I've kinda been wondering why your wearing that hoodie when it obviously doesn't go with the rest of your outfit"? Jaune wore a orange hoodie over his red dress shirt, a black vest and slacks with black shoes "ah, well I was hoping to keep someone from finding me".

The memory of the faunus cat girl came to the forefront of pyrrha's mind "your hiding from a woman right"? He didn't understand why but for some reason he felt she had a terrible misunderstanding about his current situation. He couldn't really tell her the truth since that would reveal his crimes against Atlas and he couldn't really think of a lie that didn't make him sound like scum.

Pyrrha waited patiently for his answer but one minute became five and her mood began to darken with every second he was silent. The silence was broken by the same cat girl that pyrrha ran into "so this is where you ran off too". Jaune covered his face with both of his hands and let out a loud sigh "why does this happen to me"?

/

**Elsewhere in mistral**

The side door flung open and Adam Taurus was pushed into the back of an Atlas bullhead. Winter watched Adam take his seat in front of another prisoner before addressing him "we've gotten permission from the council of mistral to take you to Atlas. Understand that you both will be held until the courts know what to do with you" she turned to the security guard and gave a nod before turning away and leaving.

Once the door was closed there wouldn't be anyway to open it again, unfortunately he wasn't in any position to do anything about it. The convict next to him began to cackle "I'll tell you why I'm here if you talk first". A growl passed Adams lips "I know why your here already Callows and between you and me I don't really care".

Tyrian giggled at Adams growing anger "there's no need to be so grumpy now is there or does the cat got your tongue"? The glare that was shot his way didn't faze the scorpion faunus at all but it did push tyrian to continue as the bullhead took off into the sky. The bullhead flew over a open field and the sky was clear which is why the pilot was shocked when one of the engine's was blasted off.

The passengers felt the bullhead nose dive as soon as it happened and braced themselves for a crash landing they couldn't see. The landing wasn't as bad as it should have been and that was saying something for a aircraft dropping at terminal velocity. There was a violent shake and it felt like the bullhead came to a stop for a brief second before it started falling again.

Once Adam was sure the bullhead was on the ground and there wasn't going to be more falling he struggled to get the door open in the hopes for a escape. He shouldn't have bothered. Black tentacles ripped through metal like paper and the bullhead door was ripped off it's hinges before being tossed away.

The first to jump out of the damaged air craft was tyrian before he was quickly followed behind by Adam. The scene Adam found himself in was one that inspired not just fear but complete and utter terror. Standing before them was a woman with skin so pale it put paper to shame and several large avian Grimm that would tear them to pieces with ease.

"So beautiful" tyrian said before falling to his knees as a man of faith would when met with the deity they worshipped. How anyone could call that thing in front of them beautiful was beyond Adam's comprehension. The humanoid Grimm watched the two of them for several seconds before a sound caught it's attention as the bullhead pilot kicked opened their door.

The pilot saw the scene before him and decided that running away was his best option. The humanoid Grimm smiled gently before snapping her fingers, the signal had two large Grimm take off into the sky. Adam watched the two avian Grimm nose dive right on top of the pilot before their beaks began tearing him to pieces filling the field with red stains and screams of anguish.

As quickly as it had began the pilots silence let them know that he was finished. Replacing the screams of pain was a burst of laughter in complete and utter joy at the carnage before them. Tyrians laughter came to a halt when the humanoid Grimm stood before him with a hand outstretched for him to take.

The scorpion faunus took her hands in his "ah my goddess-" tyrian bowed his head respectfully "- I am yours to command". Adam wasn't entirely sure that's what it wanted until she spoke "good, I have much for you to do". Her head turned towards him "and you as well Adam Taurus". That fact she knew who he was was troubling enough but knowing he'd have to serve her...well that was bad.

Adam coughed into his hand hoping to hide his frightened nerves from this thing "I would but unfortunately my heart belongs to the white fang...ma'am". The humanoid Grimm let go of Tyrians hand and turned to face him "you can still help the fang but you'll be doing it under my orders". Judging from the tone of her voice, Adam was fairly sure failure to comply would mean facing the same end the pilot had.

The humanoid Grimm waited for him to amend his decision and with great reluctance Adam bowed before her. The Grimm had won his allegiance through more than fear and he knew that "if I may know the name of whom I serve"? The humanoid Grimm smiled obviously pleased with his groveling "Salem Queen of the Grimm". Adams eye's widened slightly for he had no idea that such a thing could have even been possible.

/

**Mistral**

To avoid the worst possible scenario and the biggest misunderstanding of his sixteen year old life, jaune told the truth. The truth as he might have guessed did not pan out as he would have expected as pyrrha sat between him and the cat faunus Blake on the park bench. "White fang" she motioned to Blake "Atlas's most wanted" she motioned to him before pinching the bridge of her nose.

Jaune chuckled nervously "it's not as bad as it seems" he said but the look in pyrrha's eye's said she wholeheartedly disagreed. Blake crossed her arm's as if to say none of this should matter "what's happened has happened, what we should be doing is thinking about the future". On that was something he could agree to "she's right, there's nothing we can do about it and besides once I'm in Beacon I'll be spending the next four years there anyways".

Pyrrha nodded in understanding while that little tidbit of info would be stashed for a later date. Jaune pulled out his scroll once more before standing "I think it's time I got going, there are a few angry people waiting to get a hold of me" that alone had his shoulder slumping. Blake hopped off the bench and stopped him from leaving "I want you to take me with you" she announced.

"Why"?

"Because as an ex criminal you know how to lay low without arousing suspicion and that's something I need now".

"Yeah that's not really my problem".

Blake's eye's narrowed on his "fine I guess I'll just let the white fang know your location once I'm captured". Jaune gritted his teeth "hold on now your blackmailing me"? Her hands held her hips and the small smirk she gave him promised no mercy if he refused.

A defeated sigh escaped his lips "fine but your finding your own way to vale" Blake made to argue but jaune cut in "I don't got the lien to take you so you'll just have to make do on your own, sorry. Just get to vale and I'll help you find a place that can hold you up until your ready to move on" Blake's mouth closed and she gave a small nod before quickly leaving.

Jaune rubbed his face before turning to pyrrha "I'll see ya around"? A smile spread across her face as she stood up and gave him one last hug "Yeah, I'll see you later".

After he left pyrrha alone he made his way back to the motel where three very angry woman waited for him. As soon as he walked through the door he knew his fate was sealed but before they pounced on him he had one last thing to say.

"women".

Right as he met his doom.


	38. Chapter 38: Beacon

**Another time skip and to a time we are most familiar with of course. Bacon...I mean Beacon.**

Half a year and two months later, jaune sat at juniors bar waiting for the time that Beacons airship came to pick them up. It had been so many years since he came to vale that he couldn't believe how fast time had flown. Jaune found it funny how their supposed fourth year in pharos academy turned out to be nothing more than turning in applications and practice video's for headmasters to review.

Although he did understand the process of choosing which students would be allowed to whatever academy they wished it still bothered him. After all that's one full year of school they missed before going to a higher education level but then again it was still early in the year. At least it meant he'd meet new people and that their training and studies would be harder plus the talk about teams was interesting.

Jaune watched as Blake came around the bar dressed in the suit she was given when she started working except for the jacket and instead of red shirt she wore purple with her hair tied in a ponytail. As soon as her eye's landed on him, she received a salute from the bottle he held up "I take it junior cried his eye's out that your leaving"? Blake rolled her eyes "Actually he's pretty angry that I'm leaving, turns out I'm the only one he trusts to serve good drinks".

Jaune had to give her that, she was pretty quick on the uptake and junior treated her like the daughter he never had which caused a lot of problems with the twins. Blake sat on the stool next to his and let out a tired sigh "think junior gonna be mad at me for long"? Jaune shrugged his shoulders "hard to say but I think he'll get over it, just give it some time".

Blake pulled out her scroll and checked the time "we should get to the pickup point before Yang comes here to drag us there". Jaune gave a small nod before pushing himself up and off the stool "to the start of are new lives" he drank half of the contents of the bottle before handing it to her. She stared at it for a second before throwing caution to the wind "cheers" Blake took the bottle and polished off the rest before tossing it in the trash behind the bar.

Getting on the transport was easy and finding yang was easier because she and to his surprise ruby were making a bunch of noise that drew eye's. Jaune turned to Blake and saw her trying to hide her face while muttering how they weren't with her and how they were so embarrassing. Her moment was interrupted when jaune stepped behind her, took hold of her shoulders and pushed her forward towards the two girls.

Ruby was the first to notice their approach and moved past her cousin to greet them "jaune" she brushed passed Blake and jumped on his arm. "Hi" ruby said cutely which brought a chuckle from his lips before he ruffled her hair "Hi" he returned. Blake tried her best to get away but ultimately fell to Yangs unimaginable strength and the fact jaune had hold of her only helped seal her fate.

The moment Blake was pulled from his grip he knew he was going to have one large grumpy cat to deal with. Yangs arm was wrapped around the back of Blake's neck and just like he thought, there was a very large frown spread across her face. "Come on Blake you act like their trying to take you to a veterinarian" the comment wasn't appreciated when she started to stared daggers at him.

Yang pulled her slightly to catch her attention "don't sweat it Blake, I know you'll warm up to me soon". Blake disagreed greatly especially when yang started to pat the space between her cat ears causing her head to bounce slightly. Jaune crack a smile "who knows, maybe you two might become partners and get to spend the next four years together.

Instead of looking like the grumpy cat she was she gave him a mortified look and tried to reach out for him but ruby pulled him back slightly to keep him out of her reach. Jaune turned to the small girl in red to ask the question that had been bothering him since they got on the airship. "Ruby don't take this the wrong way but why exactly are you on the ship with us"?

Yang quickly let go of Blake and slide over to her younger cousin "I almost forgot, you won't believe what happened when she went to vale a few days ago". Ruby buried her face into his sleeve as yang continued "she ran into Torchwick and managed to fight him off, isn't that amazing"? Jaune's eye's widened as he stared at the tiny girl hanging off his arm.

Yang snapped her fingers bringing his attention back to her "turns out her little stunt impressed the headmaster at Beacon and as you can guess the rest is history".

Ruby felt jaunes arm tense under her hands which had her looking up to see his blue eye's watching her with a tinge of worry and disappointment. Jaunes eye's hardened as he sent a fierce glare towards yang "what part of what happened was amazing? The fact that she reckless fought a fully trained huntsmen or that fact that she's still alive?

Yang flinched at each question jaune fired off but it was ruby who spoke up to defend her cousin "jaune it's ok I know how to defend myself". Apparently those were the wrong choice of words because the moment they passed her lips was the moment jaunes icy glare turned to her. "You, defend yourself against a fully trained huntsmen with years of experience? Ruby the only reason your even here is because Torchwick wasn't fighting you with everything he had.

"I won didn't I"?

"You got lucky"!

His words were like a sledgehammer to her pride as a huntress but more than that his anger and the disappointment in his voice had her taking a step back. Ruby's hands clenched together as she tried to regain her nerve "even if I-I got l-lucky I had to do something to protect the store owner". The more she spoke the braver she became "it's a huntresses job to protect the people from the bad guys".

"Your not a huntress".

Once again his words hurt more then any punch ever thrown her way but even then she remained defiant as she glared at him. Blake looked between the two teens wondering who would back down first and to her surprise it was jaune who turned away first with two final words "forget it". Jaune walked away from their group towards the window to silently fume while ruby pulled up her hood, crossed her arms and chose to ignore the world around her.

The mood now ruined left Blake and yang to stand in the center of the airship in complete silence for the remainder of the trip to Beacon. Once the airship docked at the school and allowed students to disembark, something caught jaunes eye's so he left without a word to the others. Yang and Blake joined up with ruby before following the rest of the students off the airship and towards the schools auditorium.

The last two students to walk down the ramp came to a halt as they came face to face with someone they met in mistral. The tall blonde had waited for them at the bottom "Lie Ren, Nora valkyrie" he called as he stepped towards the two "welcome to vale". Ren nodded towards the tall blonde "we appreciate the warm welcome Jaune Arc". Any tension that could have formed died instantly when Nora rushed over to the tall blonde and pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

Jaunes eye's bulged at the amount of force that crushed his ribs and forcibly caused him to release all the air in his lungs. As quickly as it started it ended just as abruptly when Nora released him and he fell to the floor trying his hardest to suck in any air available. The ginger bounced slightly with a wide grin spread across her face "oh it so great to see you again jauney".

In all honesty jaune hadn't expected such a warm welcome from the girl cause he knew they worked for Vernal and she wasn't one for letting people get that close. Jaune pushed himself back up and on to his feet trying to keep what little pride he had left in tact "it's good to see you too Nora". The ginger smiled happily at his response before elbowing Ren's side "see I told you we'd get along".

Ren sighed and shook his head gently before turning back to jaune "I know you have questions but I ask that you hold them for later or we'll miss the opening announcement from the headmaster". Jaune gave a nod to the two in front of him before turning towards Beacon "we'd better hurry so we aren't late".

Nora and Ren followed after the tall blonde until they were at the foot of Beacon academy. Before they could enter the building there was a loud crash as several vials were sent rolling across the floor. Jaune reached down and scooped up a vial with red Dust in it before turning it over to see the schnee dust company logo on the back.

Looking a little further from their location there was a few suitcases laying on the floor and a very angry woman yelling at two men in butler suits. Spending so much time with yang and ruby was starting to effect him, he turned to Ren and Nora "I'll catchup with you two later" he said before rushing off. Each step he took brought him closer to the group and while that was good the vials he picked up became numerous in his arms.

Jaune managed to collect all the dust vials before stopping behind the girl in white. A large grin spread across his face as he said the one thing he knew would upset the heiress of the schnee dust "hey snow angel". Weiss's reaction was on impulse as she spun around to face him "don't call me that" she screamed.

**Getting the RWBY characters together like this is actually a lot harder than I originally thought. On a side note not relevant to this story, I've been hearing about a team called team orange which consists of Oscar, jaune, Ren and Nora and honestly I will never refer to them as team orange. Why you might ask well it's because jaunes the team leader not oscar and the fact they are trying to demote him from his spot is just another kick to an already great character. They should just keep the same name as JNPR since Oscars last name is Pine and honestly all I see in Oscars character is Ozpin and that annoys me to no end. In case your wondering if I hate Ozpins character than yes I do. I'll apologies for the rant it's just I watched RWBY over again and each time something with Ozpin or Oscar came up it really bothered me.**


	39. Chapter 39:villains

**Surprise switch up if you started reading already. We've seen jaune on his journey through the years but not enough of the bad guys so here's a nice chapter dedicated to them.**

"Don't call me that" Cinder hissed

Vernal looked up from her scroll and gave cinder a satisfied smile "what's wrong with Cindy? Sounds better than the name your using now". Cinder glared daggers at vernal hoping beyond hope that looks could set her on fire. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be so she moved on "that name is what that arrogant asshole torchwick uses to address me when he thinks I'm not around".

Vernal wore a shit eating grin that caused cinder to glare her way once more "I'd prefer if you'd never address me as such again". Before any response could be given the door to the lounge in juniors club flew open revealing a tall man with a white coat and a black bowler hat. Cinder rolled her eyes as torchwick strolled in like he was the hottest thing to ever exist "speak of the devil" she drawled.

Vernal on the other hand had a very different reaction to the master thief "wooh, work it" she cheered. Roman took the moment to give a little twirl before giving a bow to his audience "please no autographs until after the show". Cinder noticed the small girl that came in after Romans idiocy, a small girl with pink and brown hair with a small bit of silver in between the two.

If she remembered correctly this tiny girl was Romans right hand and someone who either rivaled his strength or was stronger. Vernal pushed up from her chair and moved closer to the thief "so you brought the goods I asked for"? Reaching into his pocket the thief withdrew a small Black scroll and held it out to her "it's untraceable just as promised".

Before vernal could get her hands on the scroll Roman pulled it out of her reach "ah ah I think your forgetting something pumpkin". Vernal rolled her eyes before reaching up to grab the thief by his jacket "I'm not and I told you I keep my promises".

"Promises are just word's and to people like us that means very little without hard evidence". Romans cane came up quickly knocking her hand off his jacket so he could stand up straight. "I'm already bending over backwards for you lot the least I could get is a little insurance from the head of your organization".

Cinders right hand erupted into flames gaining both of their attentions "I think you should act more politely to those in charge Roman". The threat was there and cinder expected Roman to back down but what she got was much different when the thief began to laugh. Roman spun the black scroll in his hand without a care in the world "sweetheart if you were ever going to roast me you'd have done it by now, that and you need me".

Cinder thought about it for a quick second before smiled viciously. Vernal took a step back just in time for cinder to switch her hand from a open palm to just her index finger. A small beam of fire shot forth, knocking off Romans hat and setting his hair ablaze.

The black scroll fell from Romans hand as panic overtook his sense of reasoning. The small girl the thief brought went wide eyed before jumping to action trying to stop Roman's bowler hat from suffering the same fate as it's owner. Vernal on the other hand moved quickly to catch the scroll before it crashed to the floor.

There was a certain satisfaction in burning the thief that she couldn't quite place and that fact showed on her face. Cinder stood a little taller with a small grin after watching Roman and the small girl run around like chickens that lost their heads. "I don't suppose you have any more smart remarks to share, right"? Roman pulled out his scroll and reversed the camera so he could see the damage, what he saw brought an uncontrollable hic and sniffle at the terrible loss he suffered.

Vernal let out a sigh before sending a stern glare towards cinder "you just had to ruin the mood around here didn't you". Cinder gave a shrug before ignoring her attempt at intimidation "it doesn't matter besides you acting chummy with someone is sickening". For her honesty she received Vernals signature middle finger before the door swung open once more as Adam, Emerald and Mercury came in.

A quick look around the room had Adam scowling "I'm supposed to be working with professionals not immature brats". Cinders eye's flared with power as she felt the overwhelming desire to assert her dominance once more. Unfortunately there were more important things to do then deal with people far beneath her.

Vernals scroll began to ring so she stepped away from the conversation to answer it. Looking at the caller ID she saw Ren's face, they'd only just entered Beacon so why would he need to call her? She accepted the call and held the scroll out so the video could catch her face, when Ren appeared he was just as stoic as usual.

"Ren, you just left to Beacon not that long ago and unless you blew your cover already I don't see why you'd be calling me now".

Ren looked uncomfortable for a moment "Actually we have and we haven't". She didn't understand but that was understandable with how Ren phrased his answer "we ran into jaune ma'am. He has many questions he'd like to ask us and I was wondering how much we could actually tell him without disobeying master Alec".

Vernal scowled at the mention of her former master's name mostly cause the bastard had the nerve to think jaune was compromised. Who could be stupid enough to believe that Salems prodigy and son would turn against them after all they'd been through as children. Matters were made worse when Alec demanded their silence and forbade them from telling jaune about any of there future plans for vale.

Vernals eye's hardened and she looked towards the others who were in the room along with her. Disobeying orders in front of cinder was a good way to have herself counted as a traitor since cinder was trying to become Alec's new favorite since jaune. Deciding it wasn't worth the risk she decided to follow orders "if jaune asks anything too dangerous just tell him you don't know and to call me if he needs to".

"It will be done ma'am" Ren replied before hanging up the call.

Vernal placed the scroll back in her pocket before rejoining the others who were deep in discussions about their future plans. Adam held out a piece of paper for cinder "info on the Atlas General provided by one of my contacts". Cinder looked at the coded message and smiled while Adam continued "the General is moving as we expected and if things continue as they are we will be ready for his arrival".

Cinder smiled, pleased with Adams progress and the new info she received "all according to plan". The coded message burst into flames thanks to the part of the maidens power Cinder wielded "are time limit is until the Vytal festival". She turned to look at each of them "you all have your jobs and I expect you to have them done on time". When nobody objected to her statement she dismissed them from the room.

Cinder watched as each of them filed out of the room until her eye's caught site of Mercury's silver hair. A scowl appeared on her face, one which didn't escape Vernals notice. Once the door closed shut Vernal decided to ask "are you really still sore about what happened"?

"It's not everyday that months of preparation go down the drain because a child rebels and kills their parent". Cinder thought of all the time she spent trying to get the pieces she wanted together to form an unstoppable team. Unfortunately marcus blacks death at Mercury's hand meant pyrrha's semblance died with him and any chance of recruiting her to their cause.

Just thinking about about it caused an unbelievable amount of anger to surge but was quickly put out with a deep breath. "Is that why your going along with Alec's plan? You've lost all your confidence in plan making so you decided to become a follower instead.

As much as she'd like to disagree with vernal the doubt in her capabilities was slowly becoming apparent. First it was constantly being second best to jaune and then it was failing to attain the full power of the maiden. Being calm and cool was what she was used to but with these failures stacking she just couldn't help but feel anxious about her position as a future maiden.

In all likelihood there could be a change in plans if she failed this time. Cinder moved to the door, she needed time to clear her head of these negative thoughts or it would affect her work. The door swung open and closed behind her as she left Vernal in the room alone.

Vernal watched the door for a few seconds before letting a sigh escape her lips "what a idiot". The whole time they spent together Vernal had watched cinders deconstruction from calm and collected to nervous and dysfunctional. Second guessing everything she did to the point of completely changing her mind. In a way it was pathetic.

Unfortunately cinders incompetence would spell doom for there current plan if something wasn't done quickly. Vernal looked at her scroll for a long second before shrugging slightly "oh what could it hurt to ask"? She quickly typed in a quick message to the only person who wouldn't shrug off her concerns "time to prove them wrong jaune".

**That's the end of this chapter for now. You know I really wish rooster teeth would make a spin off with team jnpr. We pretty much know that Salems going to defeat atlas and when it happens team rwby will leave for vacuo. Kinda like what they did in mistral except it would be cool to see jaune, Ren and Nora team up with penny to protect what's left of mantel and atlas.**

**Hell kill Ironwood, shatter the ace ops and leave jnpr to pick up the pieces and you got the beginning of good story right there. Just imagine the hardship jaune would have to go through to be a team leader and someone the people could look to for hope. Even better if he rallied what huntsmen or huntresses were left for the good of all. Legends will be born that day let me tell you but more than that he'll be the man pyrrha always believed he could be.**


	40. Chapter 40: beginning of the year

**The more I think about a spin off series with team JNPR the more it makes sense. Just think of all that could happen for all the characters we already have as a main cast. Nora and Ren could be given time to work through their relationship problems, Jaune could work to be a better huntsmen and team leader penny could be given a arc to come to terms with the fact she's a maiden And bound with her new team.**

**Then there's the fact they would need a villain for the team and who better than are resident ice Queen and specialists winter. She could blame them for the fall of atlas and the death of Ironwood because of how team rwby interfered with the generals plans. If she became the big bad by trying to force military rule on the people believing it to be the only right course of action it would push JNPR to fight for the people's freedom. So much to think about while I wrote this chapter it's crazy.**

How long had he been standing here listening to weiss tell him off? Actually scratch that, he hadn't been listening at all but apparently she hadn't realized that yet. In away it was kinda funny watching her wiggle around in front of him all while completely blocking out her voice.

"Are you listening to me"?

"Yes"? The words came out slowly.

Weiss crossed her arm's and gave him a look like she didn't believe the answer he gave "really"? A trick question obviously but he had to be sure "if I said yes again would you make me repeat what you said"? Weiss pinched the bridge and muttered something angrily to herself "I don't know why I even bother sometimes".

Jaune gave a light shrug "I think it's because you care a lot about other people". The answer was a safe one or so he thought but weiss's glare popped that idea "it was a rhetorical question you dolt". Her response caused him to lean slightly away just in case she had any ideas about punishing him for his stupid response.

Weiss took a deep breath to calm herself down before addressing him again "look that doesn't matter, why don't you start by returning the dust you stole". Jaune looked down at the dust vials in his arms before looking back to weiss "I didn't steal these". His argument didn't seem to convince the heiress "then explain to me why your carrying the dust vials I brought specifically for my stay at Beacon in your arm's".

Jaune's foot pointed in the direction of a specialized suit case that was designed to hold dust vials. Weiss's eye's followed his foot to see her suitcase on it's side and opened with it's contents missing. Silence spread through the area as jaune waited for the girl to say something and after a brief second she turned to him once again.

She shuffled in place before putting on a mask of neutrality much like winter did when she made a mistake. "It would seem that I might have jumped into a horrible misunderstanding and I would like to thank you for helping to gather my belongings so thank you". The gratitude she gave was followed by a slight bow of her head "without further delay I shall be on my way".

A snap of her fingers and the butler's came around and took the dust from his arms before loading them into the suitcase. Once the vials were loaded up and the suitcase was placed on the trolley, weiss stepped away from him and headed for the school. Once she was a few feet away jaune called out to her "hey snow angel that wasn't really an apology".

Weiss froze for a brief second to control her frustration before continuing onward and away to the auditorium. Jaune shook his head with a small grin and was going to follow when his scroll began to ring. Pulling the white scroll from his pocket he flipped the device in his hand so he could see who was calling only to see a giant letter V on the front.

Jaune didn't even hesitate to accept and waited for the callers face to appear. The screen flickered and a dark skinned woman with icy blue eyes and short hair appeared. It had been only half a year since he last saw her and they couldn't really call each other since he spent more and more time around Ozpins agents.

Vernal didn't say anything at first and just stared at the screen until jaune spoke "you know you called me first right"? The question was taken about as well as he expected when a scowl grew across her features "I know that idiot I was just thinking of what to say". Jaune chuckled lightly "most people start with a hi or hello so hey Vernal it's good to see you again".

"Now your just fucking with me".

"It's all in good fun. Anyways was there something you needed cause you normally don't call". Once more vernal stayed silent for a few seconds before coming to terms with something. She took a deep breath before speaking "I need your...need...gah I need your help".

Jaune's smile turned gentle "wow that must have been pretty painful especially with all the pride you got". Vernal grumbled something about idiot blondes that he couldn't quite make out so he chose to ignore it. "So you need my help? Well I can't say I expected this so early in the day but you know I'm here for you whenever you need me".

There was a slight tint to her cheeks that was barely visible "yeah, if only" she said with her voice no higher than a whisper. Her composer returned and she had a serious expression on her face as she spoke "it's about cinder, I'm hoping you can find time to speak with me in vale".

A troubled expression came over his features at the request "I'd like to say sure but I don't exactly know the schedule for this place yet. Do you think we can postpone this conversation until I know when I'm free"? The look on vernals face said she wasn't sure so he decided to sweeten the deal since she'd have to wait on him.

"I'll buy drinks" he said hopefully.

"With alcohol"?

"With alcohol".

"Deal".

Vernal looked entirely too pleased with the idea that she scored free drinks from him that it immediately had him regretting his decision. Jaune looked at the top corner and noticed that ten minutes had passed "damn I gotta go, already late for the opening speech from the headmaster". His smile grew slightly "I'll contact you at a later date" the message was clear and vernal nodded slightly "be careful" she returned.

The call ended and jaune put the scroll back in his pocket before rushing off to the auditorium for what was left of Ozpins speech.

[/]

Ruby's eye's shifted from left to right hoping to find the only male from their group who wasn't there. A arm wrapped around ruby's neck and pulled her into pillow mountains that threaten to suffocate her.

Yang watched her little cousin struggle to pull herself away from her but with the kinda strength yang had she need not even bother trying. Eventually she lowered her head to speak to the small girl who gave up trying to get away "jaunes a big boy and in case you forgot he can take care of himself". Ruby's voice was filled with worry "do you think he's still mad at me"?

After they left jaune and the airship, yang pulled ruby aside to explain in detail why exactly jaune had blown up like he did. Now that ruby knew the why, she had been on the lookout for their companion to apologize. Yang rested her chin on ruby's head and let out a sigh "I don't know ruby. He was angry when he took off but maybe he cooled down outside somewhere".

The answer ruby was given didn't seem to fill her with much confidence and she slacked in Yangs arm's. Just a few feet away from their conversation was jaune, arm's crossed and leaning on heavily on his right leg. He could've joined the others but decided not to since things were a little awkward with ruby right now.

Once the headmaster and Glynda Goodwitch finished with their speech all students were given a slight free time but would be required to sleep in the ballroom that night. The students dispersed and jaune vanished with the crowd to make sure Yang, Ruby and Blake didn't see him. Free time came and went quickly with night quickly overtaking the day leaving all the students to gather in the ballroom with sleeping bags.

Ruby continued to write down some of the days events so she could send them to her friends back at signal but would stop to look around in the hopes she'd see jaune around. It was strange that he'd been missing the entire time they got here to the point that yang and Blake helped look for him. Eventually with no luck the three decided that he'd show up when it was time for sleep but even then ruby couldn't find him anywhere.

Eventually her thoughts became muddled and her writing slowed to a crawl so she decided to put her notes away. Yang plopped down next to ruby with Blake following close behind "no site of him yet" yang asked. Ruby's response was to bury her head in her pillow and give a tiny whine that was barely audible to them.

Upstairs on the balcony jaune looked down at the sleepwear that He was positive he didn't pack. A terrible looking onesie stared back at him "I'm gonna kill Dexter" it went without saying he knew who the culprit was since it was Dexter who tried to get him to wear it once. The pajama was crumpled into a ball and thrown from the balcony as the wind caught it and flew it out of Beacon never to be seen again.

Shadows approach from behind but never gave off any intent to kill so jaune kept his cool and turned to see Ren and Nora. "So-" Ren started "-what would you like to know"?

**Beacon initiation...I wonder if I should add a little originality to it. Wonder what you all think I should do? What kinda teams could be made? Great here comes the avalanche of problems called the imagination. I wonder if I got enough juice to do something unexpected...we'll see. Oh before I forget happy 4th of July everyone.**


	41. Chapter 41:partners

**There is a song from RWBY called sacrifice that strengthens my belief that Ozpin is actually one of the bad guys. If you listen to it like Salems the one singing it about Ozpin and it just blows the mind.**

What did he want to know? Not much apparently but that was fine since there was only one really important question that needed to be asked. "Just one thing, what mission does Salem have for me"? Ren looked a little surprised for a moment before answering "you weren't given one or at least one we aren't aware of".

Jaune ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh "well then what's your mission here"? Nora looped a arm around his neck and pulled him low so she could whisper in his ear "finding the vault as students". She let him go and took a step back "we're like secret agents deep undercover".

A smile came to jaunes face "that's pretty neat but still it's kinda a shame that I wasn't given any instructions. I suppose supporting you guys when needed wouldn't go against your mission parameters right"? Ren wanted to object but Nora beat him to it "really? You'd help us? Oh we're gonna be such great friends".

Jaune saw the attack coming and braced himself with aura but even then the bone crushing hug Nora gave him threaten to rupture his intestines. When released jaune coughed a few times and gasped for air until he returned to normal "right, I think we should get to bed. We're gonna need are sleep for tomorrow's initiation" Ren raised a brow at his words "you know what's supposed to happen at initiation"?

Jaune smirked at the boy "yeah I do, I've got a useful tip from a upperclassmen that I know". Ren tried to ask but jaune cut him off "if your gonna ask don't bother unless you got something of equal worth to my info". A frown spread across Ren's face as he watched the boy in front of him "we're supposed to be on the same team".

Jaune nodded to his words before answering "true but your not in mortal danger if I don't tell you so I can live with it". Ren wasn't so sure that was true but didn't have any real evidence to argue the point luckily Nora was on the case. The pink bomber bounced in place while firing off question quicker than jaune could think of answers.

"Are we fighting Grimm? Oh maybe it's a mission to prove are worth? No wait it's definitely a tournament and the strongest get accepted right? Well then again it could be a written exam, ugh please don't let it be a written exam. She fell to her knees dramatically and whimpered before screaming to the heavens "I need to break some legs!

The two boys watched the ginger go through her fifty shades of emotions before exchanging glances with each other. A sigh escaped jaunes lips as he pressed a hand over his face "for what it's worth I'm sorry for the hand fates dealt you". For the first time that day Ren truly felt that he and jaune were on the same side "it hasn't been easy" although he was use to it he couldn't hide the defeat in his voice.

Apparently jaune had noticed the defeat in his tone and placed a supportive hand on Ren's shoulder. Funny how he could find such solidarity in a person who - to jaunes knowledge - was keeping him in the dark about their plans intentionally. "I suppose it can't be helped" he said as he let go of Ren's shoulder "initiation will have us being launched into the Emerald forest to get a item that will decide are team's".

The information was useful cause now they could devise a plan to avoid having to team up with jaune and have him shadow their movements. Nora hopped to her feet, gave a small yawn and stretched a little "welp time for bed boys" she said as she took grabbed their hands and began to drag them back to the ballroom. One final time jaune turned to Ren "I really am sorry for you" the boy sighed and let the storm of Nora do with him as she willed.

/

The next morning came and jaune made his way to the cliff where initiation was to take place. Waiting for him there was ruby, yang and blake along with several others he did and did not recognize. Ruby saw him first and screamed his name like he'd been missing for centuries. Almost everyone turned to look at him but before he could feel embarrassed about being the center of attention ruby tackled him with her semblance enhanced speed.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" she said as she straddled him to keep him from disappearing again. Jaune grumbled a "it's fine" from beneath her but ruby disagreed strongly "no it's not, yang told me why you were really angry and at first I didn't get it so she explained it in simple terms. It took a little bit but I finally understood why you were so angry, it was because you were worried right"?

Jaune pushed himself into a sitting position while ruby slide down onto his lap so he wouldn't be uncomfortable. "I was worried ruby not only because of your recklessness but because you didn't see anything wrong with sacrificing yourself". Ruby bit her bottom lip nervously as jaune continued "I know it's our job to protect innocent people and I know sometimes that means putting ourself's in danger but try to think how we'd feel if you disappeared from are lives".

He could tell his words were finally getting through to her so he placed a hand on her head and gently pulled her into a hug. His voice was soft as he spoke to her "I just don't want to lose the people I care about" ruby's head nodded against his shoulder and he knew she understood at last. There was a cough that came a little further from them that had jaune and ruby turning to see who it was.

Ozpin sipped from his mug while Glynda goodwitch watched them with a glare that sent chills down their spines. There was a brief moment where nobody moved until Ozpin spoke "Miss Rose, Mr Arc, I do believe bedroom affairs should remain in the bedroom and not displayed to a public audience". A white blank appeared where jaunes thoughts should have been and it took yang calling out to them and pointing out how they were sitting before jaunes mind rebooted itself.

The two young teens moved quickly to get up only to slip and fall to the ground once more before successfully separating and climbing to their feet. Ruby's face was beet red while jaune looked away from her with a pink color dusting his cheeks. Ozpin chuckled lightly before taking another sip from his mug "I'm sure most of you don't need to hear a welcome from me but welcome anyway".

Ozpin took a moment to look over the new potentials before him "right then let us begin, Glynda if you would". The deputy headmistress strode forward carrying a black satchel along with her "alright students get in line to receive your piece" she announced. The students formed a line as Glynda walked pass them while handing out tiny chess pieces to each individual.

Once everyone had a chess piece Ozpin continued "good now look long and hard at your chess piece because the person with the opposite color will be your partner for the next four years". The students were stunned at the news and quickly began to look at their chess pieces to find out who their partners were.

Jaune held his pieces in front of him and noticed it was the black knight chess piece which meant the person with the white knight was his partner. It didn't take long to find out who it was when yang wrapped a arm around his neck and held up a white horse figure. She gave him a smirk as she flipped her chess piece in her hand "looks like the two of us are gonna be together for the next four years partner".

A laugh began to echo from behind them and when he turned to see who it was he saw Blake looking far to happy for his liking. Standing by Blake's side was ruby, she gave him a wave and a smile only because she didn't know about his terrible luck. Maybe it was karma or something but getting stuck with yang meant having to listen to her snores for the next four years.

Speaking of the girl in question he noticed she took a great deal of interest in his neck. It took a few seconds to realize why and when he did his hand flew up to cover it. Yangs lilac eye's moved up to meet his blue "jaune what's that on your neck"?

The question was a simple one "bug bite" unfortunately the truth wasn't as simple as the question asked. Yangs eye's narrowed on him but he looked away trying to pretend he didn't notice. Remembering how he got the red mark on his neck only made it harder to ignore Yangs glare.

Last night when Nora dragged them back to the ballroom she forced them to sleep next to each other with Ren in the middle and the other two at his sides. Jaune remembered falling asleep alone but woke up to a unexpected addition clinging to his body. Nora slept peacefully as she pulled her body pillow closer to herself, unfortunately said body pillow was now awake and aware of his current situation.

Jaune remained as still as possible while he tried to piece together how he ended up this way. Nora on the other hand buried her face into jaunes neck and pushed her chest into his elbow effectively breaking his concentration. The dark side of his mind pushed to the front and filled his thoughts with lewd acts but with a quick shake of his head he cleared those thoughts away after all Salem didn't raise a fool.

Damn his teenage body and the uncontrollable libido that came with it, they were gonna get him killed. Jaune tried once more to think about the reason this situation happened and realized that Ren wasn't in the place he went to bed at. In fact the boy was on the opposite side of where he slept at leaving no one in between him and Nora.

The pieces began to fall into place and jaune couldn't help the anger that rose in him. His head turned towards Ren's sleeping form and began to mentally curse the boy to death for using him as a scapegoat. After cursing the boy for a few minutes jaune tried to think of a way to get out of Nora's grasp when his thoughts were interrupted by a wet sensation against his neck.

First there was a kiss and then there was a sucking sensation that had him yelping loudly as he ripped himself free from his captor. Ren and Nora rolled to their feet ready for a fight only to see jaune grasping his neck like he'd been stabbed and all the other students still asleep. Nora rubbed her eye's and let out a yawn "jaune what's your problem"?

Jaune took a few minutes to explain what she'd been doing to him when he woke up and at first she said he was dreaming and that she was flattered when he pointed to a red mark firmly planted against his neck. The mark was still wet and that had Nora going red "um...sorry" she said nervously as her eye's drifted to see Ren's reaction.

The pink eyed boy turned away trying his best to hide the laughter threatening to break free but it didn't go unnoticed. She had been hoping to see a different reaction from the boy but apparently jealousy didn't even register in Ren's mind.

Jaune snapped out of his memorys when Ozpin spoke up to gain their attention "please step on a platform and I'll explain the last part of your initiation".

**Welp that's the end of this chapter. This story feels like it's going to take a while to finish probably cause there's just so much for these characters to do. Then there's the problem with having to pick a RWBY character for jaune to fall in love with. There's just too many good women in here and I hate harems!**


	42. Chapter 42::initiation 1

**Yup we're going to have a semi-original initiation for this chapter. Trying to make this as enjoyable as the first time we watched RWBY's initiation episode. Fingers crossed I'll succeed but that's a tall order. Then again nothing ventured nothing gained.**

Jaune did as Ozpin instructed and took a spot next to his partner on a launch platform. Ozpin took a sip from his mug before beginning "over the years we here at Beacon academy have a tradition of launching potential first years into the Emerald forest. Each year the students had to develop a landing strategy and make their way into and out of the Emerald forest with a relic".

Ozpin stopped for what jaune believed was dramatic effect "that unfortunately will be changing starting today. Today we will use the initiation as a opportunity to give you a glimpse of what being a full fledged huntsmen and huntress is like. In order to give you the best experience we've called in a few of your upperclassmen to participate".

Ozpin turned his head towards the school where a team jaune knew fairly well arrived. "Allow me to introduce Coco adel, velvet scarlatina, yatsuhashi daichi and fox Alistair also known to others as team CFVY. They will be acting as obstacle you must either fight or avoid in order to complete your objective".

A hand rose up to catch Ozpins attention "miss Nikos" the red head lowered her hand "sir you haven't explained what the objective is that we needed to complete". Jaune's eyes widened in surprise to see his first friend on a launch platform next to Ren. Pyrrha noticed jaune was looking towards her so she gave him a warm smile and a small wave to let him know they'd talk later.

Yangs eye's darted from pyrrha to jaune and then to the red mark on his neck. Her mind jumped to several conclusions that made her chest hurt and each one was supported by the red heads desperate desire to see her partner again.

"The objective is simple, just make your way to the other side of the forest and find the temple that will record the time it took for you to arrive. Note that anyone defeated by the second years or our participating teacher will be recorded as last place".

Yangs head shot up "wait there's gonna be a teacher hunting us as well"? Ozpin smiled at the blonde "yes miss xiao long there will be and since this will be the first time this is happening I will be the teacher on the hunt". All the students seemed excited at the chance to test their metal against one of the strongest huntsmen on remnant or most of them were except a few.

Jaune, Ren and Nora exchanged nervous glances with each other but thought better than to voice any objections when everyone seemed happy about it. Ozpin took one last sip from his mug before handing it over to Glynda "best of luck to you all" he said once he faced them again. As if on cue a bullhead flew in front of the cliff so Ozpin and team CFVY could board.

The bullhead flew over the tree tops till it was barely visible from the cliff when it's passengers began to jump out. Once the bullhead pulled away and was out of the launch zone, Glynda turned to the students and wished them luck before sending them all flying off the cliff.

Seconds before the students were launched ruby pulled out a package she was carrying under her hood and tossed it at jaune. "Think fast" ruby called which gave jaune the time to catch the package but not time to prepare for the launch. Jaune flipped through the air ungracefully until yang fired off ember celica in-flight to catch him in the air.

Embarrassing wasn't a strong enough word to describe how he felt when yang caught him out of the air in a bridal carry. Nor the fact he clung to her for dear life until they reached the floor with yang using her gauntlets to slow their momentum until she landed on her feet with jaune still in her hands. Jaune coughed into his fist "you can put me down now" yang smirked at the comment "I don't know this feels kinda right to me".

Jaune rolled his eyes but decided two could play at that game before he placed a hand to his chest batted his eye's like a damsel who'd just been rescued "my hero". Yangs burst into laughter and as a result she dropped jaune to the ground "ow" he cried once he hit the floor. Before he could get up off the ground a hand appeared in front of him from yang "need a hand"?

Jaune raised a brow at the question "sure your not gonna drop me again"? Yang shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a smile "I kinda like it when you fall for me". It was probably the wording or the way she was looking at him but man was the forest getting hotter or was it just him.

Jaune took Yangs hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Sometimes he hated how yang could manipulate his emotions with just a smile, she'd learned to do that ever since they turned 15. In the end he chocked it up to being a teenager so he could move on faster.

Jaune took the time to dust himself off before turning his attention to the package ruby threw at him. Yang looked just as curious so he tore the wrapping away and marveled at the black double sided combat knife. There was something familiar about the blade that he just couldn't put his finger on so he spun it in his hand hoping to jog his memoirs.

"Jaune look there's a message from ruby here" yang picked up a slip of paper off the ground with ruby's handwriting on it. Jaune took the slip from yang when offered and read it until the end when a small smile came to him "I knew it felt familiar for some reason". Yang took the paper from jaune to read it herself.

"_Jaune I hope you like the weapon I made for you it was based off a mechashift weapon I saw back when mom took me to vale. It was about to be broken down to make a new weapon so I asked the shop owner if I could check it's specs in case I wanted to make one like it in signal. A lot happened and I decided to choose a weapon like dad's but I still had the design laying around so I thought it would be nice if you'd use it yourself. I remembered when you first came to patch you had a sword with you but it got stolen by the White fang so you've been missing one for a while. I made this to celebrate you getting into Beacon but forgot to give it to you when we got on the airships because of problems. So yeah congratulations on getting into Beacon! You owe me for getting into Beacon too"._

_P.s. I added to the design cause why not._

Yang looked up from the message to see jaune spinning the blade in his right hand before clicking the switch turning the combat knife into a long sword midspin. After a few practice swings he held the new sword diagonally to inspect the blade "ruby you truly are something special" he said happily. Jaune's words didn't go unnoticed cause yang lips tugged down leading to a frown that would have frightened most.

Before jaune could react yang shoved the message into his chest before walking away. He didn't know why but for some odd reason he got the feeling yang was pretty mad about something. Jaune slipped the paper into his pocket before putting the new blade away then gave chase to the angry blonde that stomped her way through the forest.

It was a silent rule amongst the boys that knew yang to never under any circumstances make her truly angry. Understandably her semblance and attitude were one reason for the rule but more than that it was what she did to those boys particularly that made her feared. Jaune had heard many frightening tales of the things she'd do from nut busting to nut busting with her gauntlets on.

Just the thought of it was already making him cringe but she was his partner and they were in a forest which meant they needed to work together. Jaune jogged up to yang but when she saw him she walked faster to get away. Against his better judgement he followed until he could reach her again but this time he took hold of her wrist so she couldn't ignore him.

"Your angry aren't you"?

"I'm not".

Yang tried to pull away but jaunes grip was ironclad "yang talk to me, we're supposed to be partners". Yang turned to him and was about to say something but stopped at the last second before letting out a sigh "it's nothing". Jaune's grip lessened enough for yang to pull her hand free and give it a little rub where he held so strongly.

Jaune took a step closer before putting a hand on her shoulder "yang I know I'm not the best person to talk to but remember as your partner and more importantly your friend I'll listen if you have something to say". A smile broke through her stoic features "thanks, I'll be sure to remember that".

A snapping of twigs had the two stepping apart with each one drawing their weapons. Out of the brush Coco and velvet stepped into the clearing "we're not interrupting anything are we"? "Actually you kinda are but if you like you can come back in 5 minutes and we'll be ready" jaune answered sarcastically.

Coco slid her sunglasses down her nose and eyed the two of them for a moment "oh"? Her eye's turned to yang and a smile crept to her lips while yang seemed to blush under Coco's gaze. "As much as it pains me, and trust me it does, I'm unfortunately gonna have to cut in" Coco hoisted her suitcase before mechashifting it into it's minigun form.

Before they could start a new arrival caught their attention "miss adel, miss scarlatinna if may intrude, why not leave these two to me". Jaune and yang both froze as Ozpin stepped forward with his cane at his side. Coco seemed unsure at first but eventually backed down "sure thing professor but be careful their tough for their age".

Ozpin chuckled softly "that's good to hear, we need new students who give their all in everything they do". Each step had the two blondes tightening their grips on their weapons until Ozpin stopped in front of them. Coco tapped velvets shoulder gaining her attention before nodding in a different direction.

Velvet caught the idea and the two ran off somewhere else leaving Ozpin alone. The elder man tapped his cane against the floor "feel free to try and escape but don't be disappointed by how far you get".

Yang turned her head slightly to jaune "we're doing this right"?

"Yup".

"Damn".

**Another one bites the dust people. I'll say this now but initiation is going to take a few chapters to get through.**


	43. Chapter 43: initiation 2

**The second part of Beacons initiation is here. I'm going to try and show what some of the other teams are doing so it's not all from jaunes point of view. Don't know how well it'll turn out but gotta give it a try every now and then.**

Velvet watched as Coco inspected the ground "yeah we're on someone's trail and it looks like they're moving in a straight line". Coco stood up from her knelt position and signaled for Velvet to follow. The two girls jogged after their new preys in silence until velvet spoke "you think jaune and yang will be ok"?

Coco was silent while contemplating on how to answer her "I don't know, maybe but then again we did kinda leave them with the headmaster". The reminder had velvet's rabbit ears drooping "getting last place like that is really rough but I'm sure they'll bounce back once they have their own team". Even though she knew how it was going to end Coco couldn't help but wish that she was there to see jaune finally lose for a change.

/

"LIGHT HIM UP" jaune yelled the command and yang answered in kind by following his lead. The two jumped in opposite directions putting distance between them so their gun fire wouldn't cross on accident while giving them a wider area to fire at. Ozpin caught on and smiled even though trying to dodge all their dust bullets would be near impossible...well for the average huntsmen at least.

He never thought he'd have to use this on students but desperate times were here and he had a role to fill. The dust bullets seemed to freeze in place as Ozpins body moved so quickly he left after images of himself. Knocking dust bullets into one another or deflecting them entirely was a simple task before returning to his original position as if nothing happened.

Explosion of fire dust went off everywhere except for where they were originally intended to go. Yangs eye's were wide while a bead of sweat dripped from jaunes forehead. Jaune had heard once upon a time from Salem that Ozpin was once a powerful warrior back in the day but it was only now that he truly understood what she meant by that.

"What the hell just happened" yang asked her partner but received no reply except for a nervous smile as jaune lowered his center of gravity. Jaune was crazy if he thought he was any match for a huntsmen who could move like that. Then again she was probably just as crazy since she followed his lead and charged the headmaster.

Ozpin slid his hand from the pummel of his cane to the handle just in time to block jaunes on coming attack. Jaune's combat knife shifted into it's long sword form right before the two huntsmen clashed. Ozpin redirected jaunes initial strike before following up with one of his own only for it to be blocked.

The two huntsmen were never in one place as they slashed away at each other until yang began to attack Ozpin from the rear. Ozpin blocked two consecutive attacks before thrusting his cane into jaunes chest effectively knocking the blonde away. The small reprieve was short lived as yang moved in to throw a three hit combo, two combinations jabs and a uppercut.

Ozpin clicked the latch on his cane causing it to shrink into just the handle which he used as a knuckle guard when he countered Yangs attacks. Dodging the left and right jabs was easy but when yang threw her uppercut, Ozpin countered with a chopping right. The sudden counter caught her off guard as her head shot downward before Ozpin threw a combination of his own.

A liver blow that was followed by a right cross before yang tried to return with a right hook only for her to hit nothing but air. Ozpin ducked under Yangs right and move to attack her back when jaune intercepted his strike. Jaune's gun barked as he fired at Ozpins feet while they were locked but Ozpin jumped back away from the two teens.

Ozpin clicked the latch on his cane to extend it once more before pointing the tip towards the two blondes "most impressive mister Arc and you as well miss xiao long. Attacking one's opponent from different angles, using superior numbers against a opponent and coordinating with one another to keep the pressure on". Ozpin couldn't help but smile "it takes years of training and trust to pull off what you two are doing here, most nowadays think they don't need anyone to help them so they go at it alone but I'm glad to see not all think in such a manners.

Sure that was easy for him to say he wasn't the one that was fighting a monster with enough magic and experience earned over lifetimes. Jaune's eyes shifted slightly to look at yang, she'd taken the most hits but was holding strong. He knew, yang knew and even Ozpin knew it was only a matter of time before they were beaten since it was painfully obvious he wasn't fighting them seriously so what could they do?

Jaune hated to lose and yang felt the same but if they wanted to survive this without looking like idiots they needed a plan. Yang looked down at her gauntlets before turning slightly to jaune when inspiration struck. Jaune felt yang nudge his rib with her elbow to gain his attention "I got a plan follow my lead" she whispered. The slight nod of his head was the go ahead she needed "NINJA VANISH" she yelled.

Jaune quickly loaded ice dust in his handgun before yang started shooting off several shotgun blasts from her gauntlets. It would have ended the same as last time if jaune hadn't fired off his ice dust bullets to collide with Yangs fire dust rounds. The area became steeped in fog that blinded anyone within even the headmaster.

They were trying to escape is what Ozpin believed before bullets pierced the fog and managed to peg him in the chest and shoulder. Ozpin held his cane up to protect himself from anymore gun fire but none came so he waited for their next attack. One minute turned to three and a smile came to Ozpins face "it seems I've been had" he said as the fog began to disperse leaving him alone in the woods.

Jaune and yang ran at top speed through the forest hoping to put as much distance between them and Ozpin. After several long minutes of running the two blondes stopped by a large boulder to catch their breath. Jaune burst into laughter the moment he could "I can't believe you said that, Blake is gonna be so pissed when I tell her".

Yang didn't feel bothered at all about getting sold out "eh she can sue me for copyrights later. There is one thing bothering me though why did you shoot the fog? We could've just ran".

"True we could've just ran but that would have left Ozpin a chance to give chase and more then likely catch us. The reason I shot the fog in the direction I last saw the headmaster was to make him believe we were trying to use the fog as cover for sneak attacks". The surprised look on Yangs face made him laugh "the maneuver probably bought us a few minutes at best, just enough time to get away".

Jaune checked the ammo in his gun before stretching "we should keep moving if we want to make sure the headmaster doesn't catch up". Once the two were ready they headed off towards the opposite end of the forest to finish their test. While they ran through the forest jaune could only hope his friends weren't having as hard as a time as they had it.

/

Blake flipped over the beowolf alpha before throwing gambol shroud in it's sickle form. The Blade from her sickle bit deep into the alphas neck before it was violently ripped free ending the Grimm's life when she pulled the ribbon attached to her weapon. Several Grimm corpses laid across the ground with each one beginning to dissolve when ruby returned to her partner.

Blake put gambol shroud away as ruby came to a stop in front of her with a large smile on her face "that's another pack of beowolfs that won't harm anyone ever again". Although ruby meant well Blake was starting to see why jaune got angry on the airship about her heroics. They were being tested by time yet ruby made every reason to stop their movements to fight every little Grimm they passed.

Blake crossed her arms and gave ruby a stern look "ruby we've been doing it your way but it's time to get serious and get to the goal". Ruby was a little taken aback by Blake's comment "we are but it doesn't hurt anyone if we do a little Grimm hunting while we move". Blake shook her head "it hurts us if we're constantly stopping to fight every Grimm we come across".

Ruby stood her ground and leveled a glare that said she wasn't planning to budge on her ideals nor consider altering her way of doing things. It was this hard headedness that made Blake wish she had gotten yang as her partner or at least someone who had a open mind. Deciding she had to be the bigger person even though she didn't want to, Blake decided to use reason where all else would fail.

"Ruby I know how you feel but exhausting ourselves in the middle of a Grimm infested forest could get us hurt or worse. We have to be smart and we have to stay well enough to make it to the end so we can truly be the huntresses the people need".

Ruby looked like she wanted to argue the point but Blake cut her off before she got started. Taking a page from jaunes book on how to deal with friends she decided to use some of jaunes worries from the day before to convince her.

"We aren't true huntresses, at least not yet but that's why we can't stay here wasting are time on these small time Grimm. The faster we get through this and start our real training will help us make a difference to villages and kingdoms across remnant". A smile came to Blake's face "we're the fastest people among are friends so let's get this done so we can really help people".

Ruby let out a sigh and nodded slowly " I guess your right" she said before walking past Blake. As they began to move towards their destination ruby chuckled lightly "you know you've been spending way too much time with jaune if you've begun to talk like him". Blake's cat ears fell as a sigh escaped her lips "we'll just keep it our little secret, ok"?

"Sure thing partner".

**Finished and done. I know ruby was young when she had the mindset to become a hero but I feel like that would have been amplified if summer was still alive. I mean you gotta think summer would always be trying to instill a strong sense of responsibility into people who wanted to be huntsmen or huntress.**

**In this case it happened to be the one person who was just a smaller copy of herself.**


	44. Chapter 44: initiation 3

**Nexus back to deliver the newest chapter of my fanfiction. Hope you enjoy it.**

Blake was grateful that she managed to convince ruby to put the mission first and to conserve their strength for when they really needed it. The fact that they were being attacked by Coco and velvet at this moment certainly didn't have anything to do with that.

Blake used gambol shroud to help her maneuver through the trees and out of Coco's line of sight while ruby did the same using her semblance. Ozpin had said the upperclassmen were like obstacles they could fight or run away from so Blake chose the first option. There wasn't any sense in wasting their energy here so Blake led ruby through the trees and away when they crossed paths with two other students.

Cardin Winchester watched a black haired faunus and a tiny girl fly by through the trees but didn't really think much of it until the upperclassmen that were chasing them came into view. The girl in red yelled a apology before disappearing with the faunus girl leaving them to deal with Coco and velvet. Cardin's eyes passed Coco and narrowed in on velvet before he spat on the floor "filthy animals" he grumbled.

Apparently Cardin's words didn't escape Coco or velvets notice and that led to a vicious smile spreading over Coco's face. She turned to her partner and let her sunglasses slide down her nose "well bun I think we found the perfect sub for some stress relief". Velvet was normally against using violence to solve her racial problems but just this once she thought she could let it slide since she was under orders to take down the first years.

Blake and ruby continued on in a fast pace hoping to out run their pursuers when ruby came to a stop. She looked over to Blake when she landed on a sturdy branch "you think those guys will be ok"? Blake turned towards the way they came before answering "I think they'll be ok".

A loud scream could be heard in the distance, one that caused ruby and Blake to flinch before all went quiet. Blake and ruby exchanged looks with one another before Blake spoke "okay maybe less than ok but I doubt they'll be broken". Ruby smiled weakly at the cat faunus "if you really think that then you really don't know Coco as well as you think you do".

Blake conceded the point to her partner "well it's to late from them now but we can honor their sacrifice by completing our mission". They nodded to each other before moving on once more leaving with more determination then before.

/

Ren knelt down to better catch his breath cause after the arduous battle with fox and yatsuhashi he could barely stand. The same couldn't be said for his partner pyrrha Nikos, she stood tall and proud with barely any damage. He had heard that she was planned to be brought into Salems service by cinder but due to some unforeseen circumstances she rejected the offer.

It wasn't really Ren's problem what happened but considering the position he was in now and how strong pyrrha was maybe he could remedy the situation and do what cinder could not. Earning pyrrha's trust before bringing her into the fold would also earn praise from his mistress vernal and that too also wasn't a bad thing. Ren pushed himself back up when he recovered enough of his strength to continue on with their mission.

Pyrrha had changed her look ever since she met jaune again in mistral, now sporting black where she used to wear brown but still kept the bronze armored leggings and arm guards. Removing the head wear was something she chose when she received a haircut to make her hair shoulder length. Ever since her loss to the previous champion she felt like she needed a new start and now that she was in Beacon pyrrha believed this was her best chance.

Pyrrha lost the use of her semblance but dedicated herself to her training hoping to make up for her shortcomings with a wider arsenal of combat skills and tactics. Ren wasn't exactly her first choice for a partner but he was skilled and listened well and that was more then she could have hoped for in a partner she'd spend the next 4 years with. Although Ren didn't know it pyrrha had actually lured the two upperclassmen to them so she could verify Ren's abilities since it seemed he was trying to hide something with his silence.

Luckily it wasn't his combat abilities he was hiding but after everything she learned about Blake and jaune it only made her more curious. When Ren finally rejoined her after his brief break she put her weapons away "it's good your rested, we need to leave in case their teammates come around". Ren nodded and followed after her as she took lead and ran with ren from the area.

/

Teams of students began to show up at the temple when jaune and yang came into the clearing. Jaune would have been glad if clearly they hadn't come in last place but beggars couldn't be choosers especially after their little confrontation with the headmaster. Waiting in the abandoned temple was most of the people they originally started out with except two if jaune remembered correctly.

The first to welcome them to the meeting spot was Yangs younger cousin ruby and her partner Blake. While yang caught up with ruby, jaune caught sight of someone he thought would be good to talk to. Ren had left his partner to speak with Nora and Nora's partner weiss left to speak with pyrrha when jaune arrived.

Pyrrha didn't notice his approach until weiss crossed her arms and gave him a death glare when he arrived. Pyrrha's smile was radiant when she finally saw him but before either one of them could speak weiss intervened "can we help you"? Jaune glanced towards the white haired girl before shaking his head "you can't but she can if that's ok with you pyr"?

Pyrrha stepped forward and took jaunes arm to lead him away from Weiss and any sort of trouble that could've arisen from their meeting. Once they were out of the temple they both tried to speak at the same time but broke into laughter at their failed attempt. Jaune got himself under control first and gave her a warm smile "I'm glad your here pyrrha, it feels like every time we meet something always comes up or we're busy with something".

Like the experienced fighter she was she saw a opening to reconnect with the man in front of her "I feel the same jaune, if you like we can go out when we get free time"? Jaune seemed open to the idea "I know a place in vale that would be a great place to let loose if you don't mind dancing"?

Dancing? She never would have guessed jaune knew how to dance but she couldn't wait to find out how well. Pyrrha hugged his arm just a little tighter "I guess it's a date then" she said. Before jaune could comment on her choice of words a random clapping sound could be heard coming from the emerald forest until Ozpin and team CFVY came into the clearing.

Team CFVY looked a little worse for wear but none of them looked as bad as the two students who were hog tied and dragged behind them. Ozpin pulled out a scroll pad and went to work pulling up the times of each pair before displaying them for the rest to see. "This children is the time you've each been assigned once you entered the temple, take a good look cause this will also show how we plan to pair you with other pairs to make a team" he announced.

The time score divided itself between the fastest and slowest pair to arrive before pairing them. The fastest pair was dove and sky while the slowest were the pair who were defeated by CFVY's team, Cardin and Russel. Since jaune and yang came second to last place they were paired with Nora and weiss while Blake, ruby, pyrrha and Ren were placed on the last team.

Ozpin closed the pad and put it away before addressing them once more "step one of your initiation is complete, the second half will take place as of right now". Turning towards the emerald forest Ozpin pointed above the trees to a monstrous black figure flying between them and Beacon academy.

"The giant nevermore flying above the forest was disturbed by the fighting that took place for your first half of the initiation. Also I've received reports that a giant death stalker has broken free from it's cave and now wanders the forest floors. The second half of your initiation is to traverse back through the forest and return to Beacon while working together with your new team".

Ozpin tapped his cane once on the floor before turning back to them "any questions"?

A single hand shot up so Ozpin pointed at the young man "question"? "Are you flipping insane" yelled sky lark "this test was already tough when we had to worry about getting chased down by you, that team there and regular Grimm. Now you want us to do it again but this time with Grimm way to big for children to handle and with some of us looking like that-" he pointed to cardin and Russel "-are you trying to get us killed"?

Ozpin chuckled "we did say we were going to give you the huntsmen and huntresses experience and that means dealing with the unexpected in the field". Ozpin pointed the tip of his cane at sky "the world beyond the walls are dangerous and the Grimm are ruthless. That is why you are here, so you can reach the level you need to be at to face these adversities and overcome them".

Ozpin stepped forward and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder "fear is understandable but with trust in your teammates and courage to face the unknown together, there will be little that can stand in your way". Taking a step back he let the boys shoulder go "you all are the next in line to protect humanity from the Grimm. Time to earn your place amongst the heroes of tomorrow".

Those last words had the students all scrambling to join their new teammates and come up with a strategy to get through their final test. Ozpin smiled and ordered team CFVY to release the two students who were still bound before leading the team away from the students. Coco looked back at the underclassmen before turning to the headmaster "sir, I know this is rude but isn't this a little much, it would be even for us"?

"There's no need to worry Miss Adel. We are constantly monitoring everything that goes on here in the forest. If there is any danger or possibility that one of our students could be in mortal danger we the staff will intervene. You have my word on that".

It wasn't enough to quell all her worries but it would have to do for now. She looked back once more and wished them all luck on their mission.

**Nothing like finishing a new chapter on a Monday. I've always been more of a fan of pyrrha's first draft outfit so I put it in here instead of her old one.**

**I hope Ozpins little speech was motivational cause I really had to think hard about it and not make it as boring as ruby's talk no jutsu.**


	45. Chapter 45: initiation 4

**my apologies to everyone one who read that wrong chapter. I was in a hurry and mistakes were made but thanks for catching that for me.**

Jaune stood silently a few feet away from the other students while they argued and yelled at one another. Lost in thought he didn't realize anyone approached him until there was a pressure against his leg. Ruby sat on the ground next to his leg with her hood up and head down like she was asleep.

The sudden shift of his leg allowed ruby to adjust herself so jaune could take a seat behind her. They sat back to back and ruby leaned her head back before letting out a groan. "Bored" he ask? The small girl nodded "why aren't you trying to do anything about that" she pointed at the bundle of colors all arguing with each other?

Jaune shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly "your faith in my leadership skills is flattering and I would but with them all yelling like that I doubt I'd get a word in. What about you? Not gonna rally the troops to begin the legend of the rose"? The little joke brought a smile to her face before she pulled her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them "you know how I am with crowds".

He did but if her dream of being a hero like in the story books was truly as important as she claimed it to be she wouldn't let it stop her. Realizing that nothing was going to happen if he just sat there, jaune pushed himself back onto his feet before holding out his hand to ruby. "Come on it's time to get out of here".

Ruby pulled her hood down and flashed him a small smile "it's about time" she said as she took hold of jaunes hand. Once ruby was on her feet they made their way to the group of students still yelling at one another.

"We need to stop fighting each other and focus on the job at hand" Blake tried to reason.

"Shut the hell up! I don't take orders from some dumb animal" cardin returned angrily.

A loud bang silence the group of students and drew their attention to the one who fired their weapon. Jaune lowered his hand gun before tapping ruby's shoulder "you can unplug your ears now". Ruby nodded and remove her fingers from her ears "looks like your plan worked" She said.

Jaune nodded in agreement "alright guys-" he addressed the on looking students "-we're already in a bind so let's calm down and speak like the adults we aim to be". Cardin pushed himself forward ahead of the group to face jaune "who died and made you king around here? If you'd all just listen to me we'd-" cardin stopped midway as a bullet from jaunes gun crack into his leg, dropping the boy to the ground.

"Anyone else want to keep acting like a child? Trust me I'd advise against the idea" jaunes eyes scanned the group for anyone stupid enough to test him but none seemed ready to try their luck. Jaune put his hand gun back into it's holster before addressing them again "alright people I know you've been through a lot today and I'm sure you just want to rest and get something to eat but before we do we have to get out of this forest.

Jaune pointed at the cat faunus in the center of the crowd "Blake you were trying to say something a little while ago, what did you want to say"? The cat faunus took the opportunity jaune created for her to let her idea be known "we'll split up" short and simple. Blake's ear twitched when jaunes hand smacked against his forehead "more context Blake" he groan.

"I'd expect nothing less from a dumb animal" cardin said when he finally got to his feet. Blake threw a glare his way but it went ignored when the jock jabbed his finger into jaunes chest "next time you aim that gun at me I'll break your wrist". Jaune smiled without a care in the world when cardin fell to the floor unconscious with Nora leaning against her hammer behind him.

"Poor guy was really cranky, must have been tired" she drawled before rolling her eyes. Nora casted a glare towards Cardin's team "anyone else feeling cranky" she asked while tightening her grip on magnhild. The three boys shook their heads quickly which brought a smile to the gingers face.

Blake shook her head in disappointment "you guy didn't have to resort to violence for his racism. Actions like that are the reason why the people like the white fang feel justified in hurting humans". Nora exchanged a look with jaune before swinging her hammer over her shoulder "oh I didn't put him to sleep for his racism"? Blake didn't believe her "then why knock him out"?

Nora thought about it for a good minute "well he's kinda...what's the word I'm looking for-"

"Rude"

"A prick"

"A fool"

"a dick "

"-all the above" she said accepting ruby, yang, Ren's and jaunes words since she couldn't think of one of her own. Blake didn't know what to say so instead she changed the subject "look is he still alive at least"? The group's eyes turned to the downed boy "eh he'll be ok" jaune answered after seeing that cardin was still breathing.

"Alright putting aside our personal problems, grudges ect we need you to finish explaining your plan or come up with a new one" jaune said to Blake. The cat faunus opened her mouth to speak but froze with wide eye's "looks like we're gonna have to skip the plan" pyrrha called from behind Blake. The reason for scrapping or making any new plans were skipped was answered when a large shadow blocked out the sun and the tree line was blown away by the giant death stalker.

Jaune let out a tired sigh and then a groan when he reached next to him only to grasp nothing but air. The sound of yangs terrified voice calling out to her cousin only confirmed his already mounting worry. Spinning towards the direction ruby ran off to, he was ready to rush in and help when a white figure flew past him and created a wall of ice to protect ruby from the death stalkers stinger.

Relief filled jaunes being until it was cut off by the cries of the giant nevermore flying towards them. Ruby and Weiss returned to the group quickly "what do we do" ruby asked when she had time to catch her breath. Yang, ruby and Blake looked to him for some idea on how to get through their present crisis.

Jaune's mind raced through ideas but with so many people looking for answers and he being just one person he need to share the responsibility with people who could handle it. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down he began to give jobs to the other students.

"Pyrrha, you with the Mohawk I'm assigning you temporary leadership of your groups until we're out of this mess".

Russel eye's widened in shock "I can't, Cardins better for that kinda stuff then I am". Jaune held his hand up to silence the boy "even if that's true he can't exactly help us when he's like that now can he" he said motioning to the unconscious boy. "Look there isn't time to debate this, all I need you to do is take him and your team and get out of this forest without getting killed understand"?

The boy nodded before getting his team to carry cardin away from the temple. Jaune turned to pyrrha "pyr I need you and your team to hold off that nevermore until their team is gone". "What about you" pyrrha asked. Jaune looked to his own team "we'll deal with the death stalker until their clear so we could escape when you do".

Now that everyone had a job jaune could focus on the three other people in his group which made it easier since their wasn't so many people to give orders to. Pyrrha watched jaune lead his team towards the death stalker before shaking her head "Alright team you heard the man-" she said to ruby, Blake and Ren "-let's go distract a bird.

Ruby and pyrrha shifted their weapons into gun forms for long range attacks while Ren and Blake made themselves obvious targets for the avian Grimm. The nevermore would throw it's feathers like spears at Blake and Ren but with their agility and maneuverability they would dodge between and over the feathers. On the other hand ruby and pyrrha would aim for the nevermores head with their weapons to continually disrupted the bird so it couldn't aim properly.

Jaunes team continuously poured on the ice dust when firing at the death stalker to keep it immobile. The hard shell covering the death stalker was too thick to be penetrated by normal means so the ice would help hold the beast until they could deal with it. Jaune turned to yang "I'm thinking we need to call on that old move we came up with back on patch".

It took yang a few seconds to recall what exactly he was talking about "burning comet, really"? Jaune shrugged his shoulders "it's better than nothing plus if we put this thing down we can help the others". Weiss exchanged concerned looks with Nora while trying to figure out what they we talking about. Yang bit her bottom lip for a split second before looking back at her partner "I'll agree but your owe me dinner and I'm not talking about fast food".

Jaune rolled his eyes "do you want me to give you a foot massage while I'm at it? We're trying to kill Grimm and pass this stupid exam or did you forget". Yang stared him down "I'm not hearing you agree with me and yes a foot massage would be nice" she said before emptying the last of her ice dust on the death stalkers body. A growl escaped from jaune "fine you'll get your dinner".

Weiss couldn't believe this idiocy "we are fighting for our lives and you two are discussing dinner plans?! We have more important things to think about because that ice won't hold for long". Jaune nodded at weiss's words "don't worry we got a plan to deal with this thing but for now I need you and Nora to join pyrrha's team and send ruby here".

"And why should I follow your orders? There are more qualified individuals to be the leader instead of a criminal like-". Weiss was cut off by jaune "complain about it when we got the time, just do what I told you now"! There was anger in his voice and Weiss wasn't going to stand for being talked to like that but before she could argue Nora took hold of her arm and began dragging her away.

Jaune knew the minute weiss and he were put on the same team there were going to be problems. Self entitled rich people always believed themselves better than other and always wanted to be in the center of attention and if they couldn't they would sabotage others till they got their way. He wasn't sure weiss would do that but he learned enough from having cinder on his team when he was younger to realize that being a leader was more of a headache then he wanted to deal with.

Jaune and yang moved several feet away before jaune shifted his combat knife to it's long sword form "I'm gonna say this ahead of time that I take no pleasure in doing this". Yang raised a brow "we both no that's a lie" she said holding her arms out to leave her body open for what was going to happen. Jaune went to work slashing at Yangs aura until it fell into the red before restoring it with his semblance.

There were reasons yang didn't like to use this technique, for one having jaune attack her was a pain in more ways then one. The second reason was the feeling she got when jaunes semblance and her's were used together. Yangs semblance allowed her to get stronger depending on how much damage she took which meant a slow increase over time but with jaunes semblance it was like adding gasoline to a camp fire.

The cracking of the ice surrounding the death stalker drew their attention "come on ruby" jaune whispered. "I'm here" ruby said as she slid to a stop next to the two of them. The death stalker shattered it's ice prison and let out a high pitch and angry screech that forced the three of them to cover their ears.

Jaune turned to ruby "burning comet" the name alone caused ruby to smile "can I be the one to damage yang" she asked enthusiastically. Yang glared at her tiny cousin before jaune explained that he already took care of that part. The death stalker struck with it tail hoping to impale one of them but ruby used her semblance to scoop up jaune and yang to move them away.

When they came to a stop jaune took hold of yangs hand while ruby placed her arms around jaunes sides like she was trying to hold him up. Jaune activated his semblance to boost the aura and semblances of the two girls before they took off once again. Ruby's speed was enhanced to a higher level cause when they took off a sonic boom could be heard throughout the forest.

The death stalker had no chance to defend or move when ruby let go of jaune and he threw yang forward while enhancing her semblance. The burning comet was a accurate description of the look yang gave off when she flew at the Grimm. The hard shell of the Grimm's face was not only broken but pierced all the way through to the other end where yang exited the creature.

Yang did not land gracefully, she crashed into the ground and knocked up several pounds of rock and gravel before bouncing upward into a few trees. When she finally did come to a stop her aura was just a sliver above the red and she was covered in red ooze from the death stalker. Jaune and ruby rushed to her side to see if she was all right "if you ever decide to use that technique again I'll make you pay for the rest of your miserable life" she groaned from her spot on the floor.

Jaune chuckled softly "Alright just let me...hmm" the ooze that covered Yangs body made him hesitant to heal her so yang took the option out of his hands by grabbing his arm and pulling him close. "Ugh this is so gross" jaune complained as he healed Yangs aura. After a few minutes of healing, Yangs aura was restored "Alright guys let's go help the-" the sound of something large impacting the ground caught their attention.

Jaune was genuinely shocked to see pyrrha standing on top of the nevermores head with her spear impaled into it's eye. She clicked the mechashift latch to change her spear into it rifle form before firing of several shots deep into it's brain causing the nevermore to scream once before dying. Jaune let out one deep breath to calm down before looking to the others "looks like now we just have to get out of here" he said happily.

**Finally done with this chapter.**


	46. Chapter 46: initiation finale

**In case you haven't noticed I'm a pretty big jaune arc fan of the rwby series which is why volume 8 kinda worries me a bit. In volume 8 there's this thing with distrust that's supposed to happen with the rwby team that splits them apart but at the end of volume 7 Ozpin returned and Oscar asked him for help. So what I'm worried about is that Oscar won't tell them that OZ has returned and he'll manipulate them to doing what he wants until he's found out which will have yang and jaune turning against him.**

**Of course as we know some of the others will side with him but I feel that if ruby actually trusts him jaune will feel like he can't stay with her anymore because of all the lies Ozpins told. Plus in my opinion that feels like a slap in the face since jaune trusts her but she'd defer to a man who hasn't made any attempt to stop this war that's pretty much consumed the lives of everyone they know and love.**

The trek through the forest would have been a little more enjoyable if he wasn't helping yang walk. Then again if she wasn't in a lot of pain from their move earlier he doubted she would have liked looking like a damsel in distress. "This would be a lot easier if you'd just let me carry you" he said only to receive a glare from the other blonde.

They continued to walk slowly following after the main group in silence until jaune came to a stop "can you at least tell me why you don't want me to carry you"? Yang thought about it for a few moments "well for one it's embarrassing and two I'm not so weak that I need your help". Jaune rolled his eyes "Yang if I let you go right now you'd fall flat on your face and after all damage you took that's the last thing you need right now".

Yang frowned and with what little strength she had she pushed jaune away to stand on her own two feet. She barely lasted a few seconds on her feet before falling backwards towards the ground. Yang prepared for the inevitable pain of hitting the ground by closing her eye's and tensing her muscles but to her surprise the pain never came.

"You see this is what happens when you don't listen to me"

Yangs eye's cracked open to see jaunes face staring down at her and with his arms holding her back so she wouldn't fall. She gritted her teeth and tried to move away to prove she didn't need his help but jaune didn't let her go. "Let go or I'll - woah" yang shouted in surprise as jaune went low and swept her off her feet.

"Put me down"!

"Nope".

"Now jaune"!

"Nope".

"Stop acting like ruby"!

Jaune gave her a smug smile "Nope" he said making sure to pop the p just to infuriate her more.

Yang struggled in his arms for a few seconds before pain racked her body from the technique they used earlier. Having lost the battle against her own battered body she stopped struggling but made sure to glare at the man carrying her for putting her in this embarrassing position. Catching up to the others was easier because they weren't moving like snails anymore but the looks they received upon arrival were enough to have yang blushing.

Blake raised a brow at Yangs current predicament "Yang, I see you've been making progress when we weren't around". Yangs response was to cross her arms and try to bury her face into jaunes chest so nobody could see how red her face had become. Although some saw the amusement in her actions others couldn't help the ugly feelings growing in their breast.

When pyrrha had heard jaune had caught up to them she hoped to speak more about when they would go out together but as soon as she saw them together her voice died in her throat. Nora watched the two blondes like a hawk and couldn't help but feel jealous that she actually had a man who would do that kinda stuff for her. A part of her wanted to scream and choke the reason out of Ren for why he acted like he wasn't interested in her but the other part wanted to get some tips out of yang.

Nora decided that option two was probably the safer route and scooted over to jaune and yang. She tapped on jaunes shoulder to gain his attention "hey there jaune I was hoping I could talk to yang for a minute". Yang let her head fall back so she can see Nora although upside down "what's up? you wanted to talk to me"?

Nora opened her mouth to talk but immediately clamped it shut before giving jaune a look like she was expecting something. "What"? jaune asked only for Nora to tap her ear "how about a little privacy buddy". Jaune gave the ginger a deadpan look "Nora my hands are quite literally full right now and if I use them to cover my ears I'll end up dropping yang".

A low growl came from Nora's throat "fine I got a plan for that too" she said before moving behind her leader and placing her hands over his ears. "Geeze do we have to do everything for you" she said but jaune raised a brow in question "what"? It took her a second to realize she still had her hands over his ears but chose to just move on.

"So-" she started "-you and jaune huh"? Yangs eye's narrowed on the ginger "we're not like that". Nora could see it even if yang wanted to deny it "not yet but I can tell that you want it to be like that". Apparently the two forgot others were around cause neither of them noticed how pyrrha had went quiet to hear the blondes response.

Yang took a quick look at jaune before going back to Nora "just hurry up and get to the point already". Nora grinned at finding someone in her shoes "Well teammate we find ourselves in the same frustrating position where the men we're after are too dense to get the clue. Unfortunately for us when we went solo we didn't get very far which is why now is the time for a maidens alliance" she said enthusiastically.

Although Nora was being Nora which was funny since that saying seemed to fit a little too perfectly, she could see the benefits to such a arrangement. Two years she had been showing interest in jaune and yet he carried on blissfully unaware of her feelings or was to dense to see the signs. This was a terrible idea "sounds good to me" but sometimes a terrible idea showed the most results.

Ruby had been listening in to Nora's crazy idea and realized just how crazy it was because she was saying it out loud for Ren to overhear. She had known about her cousins feelings for jaune for a while and although she didn't understand how he hadn't noticed with all the flirting even she thought their team up was a bad idea.

To everyone's relief the cliff they were catapulted off of came into view along with the staircase that led up to the top so they wouldn't need to rock climb to get back. Once at the foot of the staircase yang felt her feet touch the ground while jaune adjusted his hold on her so she could stand upright. The pain in her body was gone but in it's place there was stiff and sore muscles that made it hard to move around but at least now she wouldn't have to look so pathetic.

Nora let go of jaunes ears and moved over to help yang walk while they discussed plan's for future. Jaune's freedom allowed him to catch up with Ren as they scaled the impressive amount of stairs leading to the top. "Is it me or is anyone else getting really bad vibes from those two" he said while pointing his thumb at yang and Nora.

Ren looked back to see Nora and yang talking with each other before turning back to jaune "I'll offer a blanket and pillow whenever you need to get away". The small act of kindness almost made jaune cry at the fact that there was someone else who undoubtedly suffered at the hands of these young women and new how to cheer him up.

/

Coco watched the scroll pad flicker with more people passing their initiation from the different groups scattered around the forest. "Finally, are jobs almost done" she swiped the screen so she could look through the various camera's scattered around the Emerald forest. Tapping on the top right camera video she watched the remaining group of students climbing the stairs to reach the top of the hill.

"Hey bun looks like our kids are on the way up" she said as she handed the scroll pad to her teammate. Coco's smile grew when ruby and the rest arrived "poor kids must've had it rough, we should soothe their weary souls". The first team of boys arrived earlier and were near dead on their feet but the last two groups didn't seem all that tired, well except for yang.

"Alright children please gather around" Glynda goodwitch stood next to the headmaster and waited for them to follow her orders. With everyone tired from the days work, none of them wanted to do anything more than get some food and a shower. Ozpin stepped forward when all the students gathered around him "Jaune arc, Blake belladona and Russel Thrush from today onward you will be the leaders of your new team".

All Three of the team leaders began to complain about the sudden responsibility thrusted upon them but Glynda was having none of it. "This is a great responsibility you all have been given, you will be grateful and stop acting like spoiled children" Glynda replied while cracking her horse crop against her hand making them flinch. Ozpin gave a small smile before taking a sip from a new mug of coffee "now that that's settled we have one more thing to hash out".

Ozpin stood tall and looked each one of the leaders in the eye before continuing "team names. Normally it would fall to the teachers to choose a name befitting of the students that comprise of said team but as I've explained earlier we are doing things a little differently. Now it falls to you, their leaders to choose what you will be remembered as for the next four years" Ozpin took another sip from his mug "when you have decided a name return with your teams to the auditorium".

Those were his final words as he walked off with Glynda and team CFVY, leaving them alone to decide what they should be called. The first to break the silence was weiss "this is unbelievable, what in all of remnant would make the headmaster choose a criminal to lead a huntsmen team"! Jaune took one look at her and decided he just didn't have the energy to deal with her right now.

Trying to figure out a name was tough but by the time they reached the auditorium they finally had a name to present to the headmaster. The ceremony for the people who passed initation was small and short, they would stand on stage while Ozpin gave them their names in front of the other students and assigned team leaders for each group of four. Quite frankly the whole thing was pretty anticlimactic and a tad bit embarrassing but once team RBWL (Rumble), JNWY (January) and team BRRN (Brown) were established they were allowed to retire to the dorm rooms they were assigned.

After jaune had finished his shower he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling wondering just what was going to happen now that his first year at Beacon had finally started.

**I guess this was pretty much a cool down chapter. That and I'm working with a friend to get better at animation so I could give visuals to my stories. One day of course but that also means I gotta work on my drawing skills again.**


	47. Chapter 47: trouble brewing

I've** been looking through the first season all over again to try and keep this story sorta in line with the original...or something close to that. Looking for new ideas and things to write about is a lot easier when you can pick apart the original for ideas.**

The first day of Beacon started off with classes in Grimm study and history, none of which was all that interesting since the history they taught was incomplete and Grimm study was just story time with port. Most students either fell asleep or just couldn't keep up with the teachers and their odd way of teaching but once those classes ended the best class had everyone's attention, combat class. Different weapons, tactics and semblances made this class one to focus on mostly because it was a chance to show off how strong you were to everyone else.

From what he could gather from the previous fights so far was that everyone seemed to focus a lot of their time on their weapons instead of using everything else. Master Alec had always made sure that any weapon he held could be used to strike a foe down and If there was no weapon available then he himself would become the weapon. Watching the other students use flashy moves against each other was entertaining for sure but otherwise they were wasted movements that anyone could take advantage of.

"Alright next up is ruby rose and Nora valkyrie" Glynda goodwitch announced to the remaining students. Nora was like a pop up toy jumping to her feet with excitement shining in her eyes while ruby on the other hand pulled her hood up to hide her face. This match was going to be interesting cause he'd finally see how far ruby had come after all those years training together.

The two girls went to the locker room to retrieve their weapons when jaunes scroll began to go off. "Tch, what now"? Jaune pulled out his scroll and read the caller ID "junior"? He accepted the video call and waited for the man's face to appear on his scroll.

Juniors face appeared and if jaune had to say the elder man looked equal parts worried and tired. The elder man took a long drink of whisky from his glass cup before giving jaune the evil eye "you know kid it's times like this that I wish I never met you you know that". Besides the hurt feelings he was experiencing right now jaune kept a neutral expression "I take it something really bad happened for you to think that"?

Junior looked at his glass like he was expecting it to refill itself but when it didn't he scowled "I got news from some associates that might interest you. When you came back half a year ago and asked me to keep a ear out for signs of white fang movements I thought it was paranoia but it looks like I was wrong. I'm sending you a few files I've compiled to your scroll detailing the number of dust shops that have been targeted by the fang and what was stolen".

Jaune raised a brow "there's more to this than your telling me isn't there"? Junior took another drink from his glass before refilling it with more whisky "these bastard have been moving in on my turf and Roman won't move on them cause he doesn't want to be part of a turf war". Jaune nodded in agreement, Roman although he was a trained huntsmen never entered a fight unless he had to or when his enemies were weak and easy.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair and looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on his scroll call. Although it looked like no one was paying attention the sudden twitching of Blake's cat ears made it perfectly clear she was listening in and would be demanding answers later. Jaune turned back to his scroll "send me what you have and I'll check it out later, I'm also going to need a few things to help me deal with this problem".

Junior nodded clearly catching the hint "send me a list with the details and I'll have the supplies ready when you need it". The scroll video ended and jaune put the scroll in his pocket before turning back to the fight happening below. A quick look to the aura meter showed that ruby was in fact doing a decent job against his teammate since her aura was twenty percent higher than Nora's.

Funny how ruby could be a nervous reck before the match but once it began she would shift to the huntress she always wanted to be. The match ended before he could really see them fight with ruby landing a double kick into Nora's jaw before firing her sniper to launch herself away. The look in Nora's eyes promised revenge as she moved to give chase but was stop when goodwitch called the match to a close.

Ruby returned with a pep in her step and a grin spread ear to ear while Nora on The other hand had a large frown and was muttering about life being unfair when she arrived. The two girls took their seats next to their teammates and waited to see who was next as Glynda looked at her scroll. "We have enough time for one more match" she announced before looking up at the students "I need to volunteers"?

Eavesdropping was technically a bad thing to do especially on friends so jaune aimed to get a little revenge by reaching down to Blake waist and poking her side hard enough that she jumped up and yelped. Glynda's eyes flew to the young cat faunus "miss belladonna thank you for volunteering".

Blake turned to the man who betrayed her and gave him her best glare, pack full of all the hate she had for him this moment. Jaune turned his face away like he didn't do anything at all so Blake tried to stomp on his foot with her heel only for jaune to slide his foot away and accidentally kick yang. Yang yelped loud enough to catch Glynda's attention "miss xiao long thank you for volunteering as well" she said unaware of the situation happening in the her class.

Blake's face paled at the fact that she was now being forced to fight yang and it didn't help that jaune patted her leg as if to say he felt sorry for her. When yang glared at jaune for kicking her he pointed a finger towards Blake "don't blame me, blame her". Yangs eye's turned to see Blake's leg still in the spot where she tried to smash her heel into jaunes foot.

The intense sense of dread Blake felt as Yang cracked her knuckles made her want to find the nearest empty box to hide in. Before Blake could even think to escape, yang grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her down the stairs to the dressing room all while jaune waved good bye to them. Once the two were gone jaune fished out his scroll once again and began going through the files junior sent him.

The first file had nothing to do with the current events happening in vale since it was a news article that was sent out several months ago. "Wait a minute" jaune read the headline of the newspaper "white fang terrorist Adam Taurus faces justice". A small text under the article was from junior saying the story was scrapped by atlas officials since Adam Taurus escaped custody while under their supervision.

Jaune grimaced at the news. It was just his luck that Blake's psycho ex boyfriend and one of the white fangs most notorious fighters was back on the street. Just thinking about how much of a hate boner the bull faunus had for the two of them for locking him up was enough to make him worried. Jaune closed the file and opened the next to see several photos of different dust shops with dead human owners on the floor.

"Welp there went my appetite" his words caught ruby's attention so she looked back at him to see if he was alright. "Jaune you okay" she asked as she pushed herself up a seat so she was sitting next to him. Jaune rubbed ruby's hair while she struggled to stop him before answering "I'm ok ruby, just saw something neo sent me that made me not want to eat for a while".

Ruby's finger poked her bottom lip as she thought "jaune you never told me why neo didn't come to Beacon with you". The sudden realization that he never told them what happened had him freezing in place for a moment "crap" he said as his palm covered his face. He couldn't tell her the truth but he could dance around it "she found something else that she wanted to do more than be a huntress".

"Really, like what"?

Jaune shook his head "I don't know, she wouldn't tell me when I asked but-" jaunes expression turned sad "-I hope she's doing okay out their on her own".

/

**City of Vale**

Neo was just about to follow Roman downstairs into their hideout when she came to a stop and turned towards the direction Beacon was in. There was a slight breeze that brushed against her form and she couldn't help but think of the tall blonde who had been by her side for the last several years. A smile crept onto her face as she twirled her parasol in her hand before descending downstairs after Roman.

/

**Beacon Academy**

Ruby placed a hand on jaunes shoulder to comfort him "you miss her don't you"? Jaune gave her a small smile "neo's been a big part of my life ever since I first came to vale so yeah, I suppose now that she's not here I feel a little lonely". Ruby leaned her head against jaunes shoulders before looking up at him with her silver eye's "at least you still got me".

Jaunes smile grew a tad bit more "your right, thanks ruby".

**Next chapter will pick up where this left off. The thing with neo was pretty much who she would follow more, jaune or Roman. Obviously she was going to choose Roman since she's known him longer.**


	48. Chapter 48:trouble with friends

**Spoke with a good friend of mine about RWBY and The ideas we came up with when thinking about all the holes in the story were pretty good and even now I can't stop thinking about a JNPR spin off. If anyone can pull off a spin off it'll be miles luna since he's already done so with after the fall and before the dawn.**

**All he'd need is the freedom to make the series The way he wants and we'd get a look at remnant from two shows.**

The fight happening below was getting to be pretty one sided since Blake spent most of her time trying to run away from yang. Unfortunately for the cat faunus she didn't get very far with yang using her fire dust to force Blake to move the way she wanted. Predicting her movements became simpler which allowed yang to get in close and overwhelm the cat faunus with a few combinations punches to the body.

Even when Blake tried to fight back at a distance it became too dangerous when gambol shroud was caught by the busty blonde and she was pulled in close to be force fed more punches to the body. When Blake's aura dropped to 50 percent yang prepared herself by activating her semblance before smashing her fists together. The power radiating off of yang had Blake breaking into a cold sweat so immediately she decided that dodging and avoiding Yangs punches was definitely the safest options.

Yang smiled viciously at her prey "Looks like now's the perfect time to finish you off kitten". The decision Blake made was definitely the correct one since all the danger alarms in her head were going off telling her to run before it was to late. Yang rushed towards her opponent while Blake tried to run away only to find that her legs weren't responding like they normally did.

Blake lifted gambol shroud to defend against Yangs right straight only for it to be a feint so yang could deliver a liver blow that knocked the spit out Blake. Her aura still held strong so Blake tried to slash her opponent with her sword only for yang to jump out of its reach before rushing back in to deliver two hooks on either side of Blake's gut. She didn't understand how this could be happening especially when she knew for a fact that she had the speed advantage over her opponent.

Up in the seats jaune watched the match progress for a little while before speaking"yeah, Blake's totally lost this one". Ruby looked up at the blonde with a questioning gaze "well yeah, if Blake moved around more she wouldn't be losing like this". Jaune shook his head in disagreement "she not staying still because she wants to but because she can't move".

Ruby didn't understand what he meant so jaune decided to explain it in a way she would understand "Blake's greatest advantage is her speed in a fight right"? Ruby nodded so jaune could continue "well that's why throughout this whole match Yangs been aiming for her body to effectively cut off her greatest asset". Ruby's eye's widened in shock "Wait why would attacking the body stop her from using her legs"?

Jaune smiled as he watched yang move in and out delivering devastating body shots that were causing Blake to stand on shake feet. He turned back to ruby with a smile "body blows cause not just mental fatigue but they are effective for forcefully knocking the wind out of people. If you sustain them for long periods of time they begin to effect your breathing and without enough oxygen the muscles can't function as they normally should which leads to this".

Jaune pointed to Blake and her lack of movement "hindered motor funtion and slow attacks that are easily dodged". Yang rushed in once more and threw a hard right into Blake's solarplexes causing her to crumple forward trying to catch her breath before eating a uppercut that sent her skyward. The uppercut was delivered with so much force from Yangs semblance infused fist that everyone including jaune flinched when it connected with Blake face.

Ruby was so immersed in the fight she didn't notice jaune taking the opportunity to shut off his scroll to hide the file he was looking through. Down below Glynda goodwitch called the match to a close since Blake's aura fell into the red as soon as she hit the floor. As if to signal the end of all fighting the bell rang "Alright students you've had your first combat lesson today, tomorrow you'll be watching and studying the few who didn't participate in today's matches".

Before anyone could leave Weiss held her hand up to ask a question. "Miss schnee you'd like to add something"? Weiss stood up to answer "you said we'd be studying tomorrow and I know the others who didn't fight will be used as a example but shouldn't we be focusing on are own techniques and skills instead of someone else's"?

Glynda couldn't help but smile at the question cause it wasn't everyday that a student made a good point. "Honing one's abilities is good but learning about the multitude of weapons, fighting styles and semblances helps to widen the experience you'll need when dealing with them later on down the road. After all some bandits and criminals such as Roman torchwick have been trained to fight on par with a normal huntsmen or huntress".

Glynda pushed her glasses up her nose "if we are to have a chance of standing up to such people learning what to do and what not to do here where it's safe will be better than finding out the hard way. Case in point would be what happened here with miss belladonna" she said motioning to the cat faunus who was still sprawled out on the floor.

"She believed she had a plan to take on miss xiao long without thinking of the alternatives and suffered greatly on accounts of two very serious factors. One in believing that because miss xiao long was a close quarters combatant all she needed was distance and long range attacks. Naturally that would be a good decision to make and any true huntress knows this as common knowledge but when faced with such a disadvantage a exceptional huntress would find away around it".

Glynda turned to yang and saw the happy smile on her face "I don't doubt miss xiao long knew about Blake's long range capabilities which is how she devised a way to counter them. That being said miss belladonna still had speed on her side and would have been able to get clear if miss xiao long hadn't planned for that as well". Yang scratched her cheek bashfully when Glynda turned back to her students "I would tell you the second reason but what kind of educator would I be if I didn't encourage you all to find the answer for yourselves".

Miss goodwitch's horse crop smacked against her palm as she looked to each one of the children in her class. "Now you see the useful knowledge laid before you, learn from it and any other fights you have in this academy. All of this will play a part in making you the best huntresses and huntsmen there are, class dismissed" she said leaving to attend to Blake.

Weiss never felt happier with her decision to come to Beacon then in this moment when she realized that she was being treated like any other student rather than a special case. As she turned to leave she overheard jaune telling ruby that he was going to go check on the faunus below. Weiss couldn't hide the angry scowl that came to her face or the thought of how perfect life would have been if she was the team leader.

Jaune felt weiss's glare and looked over to her to see her scowl "you know if you keep looking like that your gonna develop some serious wrinkles on your forehead". Weiss let out a low growl before yelling "excuse me"?! When he went to open his mouth to say something else he found two small hands shoved into his face as ruby sealed his mouth shut.

Jaune took hold of ruby's hands and pulled them away "ruby what heck " he asked once he could speak again. He was met with two silver eye's staring back at him "you said you were going to go see Blake right"? Jaune was a little dumbfounded for a moment before trying to argue the point "I know but she". Ruby pulled her hands free from his grasp and crossed her arm's "but she" he tried again but when ruby raised a brow his attempt died.

Jaune let out a frustrated sigh "fine I'm going" he was about to leave when ruby cleared her throat to get his attention. Looking back to the small girl in red he noticed she was pointing at weiss "you've gotta be kidding me right"? Ruby frowned at his response "nope, now mister". Jaune crossed his arms and held out as best he could but once ruby stepped in front of him and pointed to weiss again he caved.

He walked past the small girl in red to weiss and let out another sigh "weiss I'm sorry" obviously he didn't mean it and ruby noticed. "Jaune" she said his name loudly which caused him to flinch slightly "fine" he said to calm ruby down. Taking a moment to recollect his composer he started again "weiss I am sorry, I didn't mean to come off as rude and I hope you'll forgive me".

Weiss watched him for a moment before looking over to ruby to see a large smile on her face "it's fine and I apologize as well for glaring at you, it was unbecoming of a schnee". With that jaune walked away and moved over to ruby before looking at her with narrowed eye's "happy"? Ruby nodded to the blonde and he turned away to head to the arena on the ground floor below.

Weiss watched ruby walk over to her before asking "ok what's your secret"? Ruby looked confused at first until realization sunk in and a smile came to her lips. She looked back at jaunes receding back "every girls got their secrets" she said before walking off with weiss.

Jaune walked past his partner but not before holding up his hand to give her a congratulatory high five. When he reached Blake and miss goodwitch he knelt down so he was at eye level with the two of them "how's she doin"? Glynda goodwitch spared him a glance before looking back to Blake "she'll be fine after a little rest".

Jaune moved to Blake's side and helped her sit up when she struggled and failed to do so on her own. The moment her amber eye's met his blue she whispered something that made him laugh "I hate you". Once he finally got himself under control he looked to miss goodwitch "if you don't mind professor I'd like to take some time to heal her if that's ok".

Glynda's confused expression was to be expected since she didn't know the full extent of his semblance because he never really used it in front of people. Jaune lifted his hand and held it over Blake before activating his semblance. The glowing white light of jaunes aura fused with Blake's and began to restore what was lost in her previous fight with yang.

"Remarkably" Glynda whispered as she watched the young man pour his light into the young girl in his arms. The professor pulled out her scroll pad and watched as Blake's aura went from red to green in the span of a few minutes. When Blake's aura was finally replenished jaune helped her to her feet but held on to her since she was still standing on shaky feet.

"What your feeling right now is something akin to phantom pain, since your body is healed but your mind doesn't know how to process the quick recovery it'll feel like I haven't done anything for you" he explained to the two. Glynda seemed deep in thought when she excused herself from the arena leaving the two alone together. Once the professor was long gone Blake turned to eye jaune "I know you stayed behind because you wanted to talk so go ahead I'm listening".

Jaune nodded to the cat faunus "good cause there's somethings you need to see and trust me it's not good" he said as they left the arena.

**Been watching hajime no ippo and that helped with writing the fight between Blake and yang. Then there's that thing with Glynda's explanation and that took a little more brain power then I'm used too.**


	49. Chapter 49: a secret discussion

**Just got me before the dawn so I might be updating later than normally while I read up on some rwby. Just letting you all know.**

The sound of Glynda's heels could be heard through the empty hallway as the deputy headmistress march to the central tower where Ozpin resided in. Once inside the elevator she pulled out her scroll pad and looked over the video that had been recording everything in the arena until now. The shining light of jaunes aura mixing with Blake's depleted aura and restoring it gave her something she needed to share with the others.

A small ding signaled Glynda's arrival to Ozpins office. The headmaster was sat behind his desk with a few papers in one hand and his mug in the other. He placed his papers on the table before turning to his deputy headmistress "you seem to be in a hurry Glynda, something troubling you"?

Glynda waisted no time in placing the scroll pad on Ozpins desk in front of him "I found something you should see sir". Her finger tapped on the middle screen to begin the video of jaune restoring Blake's aura with his own. Ozpin remained silent as his eye's took in everything that was transpiring in the video "remarkable" he whispered to himself.

Once the video had finished Ozpin leaned back in his chair deep in thought. Glynda moved forward to collect her scroll pad "OZ if this ability is capable of doing that much for someone with a depleted aura would it also work on one that's damaged"? The question was a good one and quite frankly he didn't have the answer for it since a situation like this has never happened before.

"This new information weighs on a delicate situation, one in which needs to be discussed with Ironwood since he's been gathering information on young mister Arc" he said. Ozpin took a quick sip from his mug before going to work on the console built into his desk. A few key presses later and a communication link was trying to establish itself with the General of Atlas.

The holo screen flickered before General Ironwood's face came into view "Ozpin, this is a surprise". As far a surprises were this one wasn't entirely bad especially when Glynda moved within his view. Ironwood linked his hands and gave her a warm smile "Glynda, always nice to see you doing well".

"It's good to see you too General" she said as business like as usual. Ironwood let out a small sigh before straightening up in his chair "I doubt you called for pleasantries so was there something you needed"? Glynda looked to Ozpin but noticed he wasn't really paying attention so reluctantly she decided to speak for them both.

"It's pertaining to the youngest child of the Arc children, jaune arc"she said. The name alone made James tense "the boys been missing for years and with any luck he's probably Grimm fodder by now". Glynda's eyes widened slightly before she turned and shot a glare in Ozpins direction, luckily for him he had his face hidden by the mug in his hand.

When she realized they weren't going to get far unless they spoke the truth she took a deep breath "we... Umm... Actually have mister Arc here at Beacon". Ironwood smiled happily at the news "oh I see" silence grew between the three of them until Ironwood turned to Ozpin. Any semblance of warmth in the Generals face quickly died when his hands slammed on the table "that boy is one of Atlas's most wanted criminals Oz, what were you thinking"?!

Ozpin swirled his coffee before setting it on the table "I was thinking this boy is the son of Nicolas Arc and much to my surprise as any he's also the key to solving our dilemma with Ambers condition". The news silenced Ironwood's angry ranting "hmm...does this have anything to do with that boys semblance"? Ozpin placed his hands together and rested his chin atop his fingers that were woven together "you know of the young Arc's semblance"?

The General sat back in his chair "not the specifics of it uses but I've witnessed what I'm guessing is only a small portion of it's capabilities". Ozpin was without a doubt interested in what Ironwood had learned but knew it wouldn't be fair for him to be the only one sharing information. Turning to Glynda, Ozpin asked his deputy headmistress to send the video recording to Ironwood.

"We've sent you a video recording of what we captured in the arena, please have a look and tell us what your thoughts are" Ozpin said. Ironwood opened a second screen on his console to watch the video he received. The Generals finger tapped the side of his chin as he realized that what he saw years ago was different from today.

Ironwood opened a third screen that played the video of winter and jaunes fight from several years ago that he secretly recorded. Seeing jaune take one of winter's semblance enhanced charges and get back up after repairing his damaged aura always unnerved him. Now seeing this new way the young fugitive could manipulate his aura to fuel others brought a even more worrying prospect to the table.

"Lien for your thoughts James" Ozpin asked after several minutes of silence while Ironwood stared off into space. The General looked to his old friend once more "I'm thinking about this boys semblance and I think we've only scratched the surface of how dangerous it is if he's working for her". Ozpin raised his mug to his lips and took a sip "care to share with the rest of us James"? Ironwood was reluctant but decided to send the video of winter and jaunes fight to Ozpin.

Opening a secondary screen he looked over the video with Glynda looming over his shoulder. During the match jaune had taken damage and used his own semblance to restore what was lost. Seeing this turn of events had dots connecting in Ozpins mind "the boys a living aura battery charger".

Glynda felt about as surprised as Ozpin while Ironwood nodded in agreement.

"I always knew this boy was dangerous especially with the level of skills he possessed at his age but this is more than even I imagined" James said. Ironwood gave Ozpin a stern look "Ozpin you cannot let someone who serves her run around your school freely which is why I'm requesting that you have him watched around the clock by some of your most trusted huntsmen".

Ozpins answer was a simple one worded answer "no". Ironwood's reaction was about what Glynda expected but for what it was worth she agreed with Ozpin. The General shot to his feet and slammed his hands "OZ I know you want to believe in that boys lineage but the fact that he serves Salem makes him a enemy of all the things we are trying to accomplish. We can't afford to have a spy so close to the spring maiden and we definitely can't trust him not to try something when she's already in a weakened state".

Ironwood sat back in his chair and took a deep breath "I've trusted you many times over the years and I'm not asking but begging you to trust me". Truthfully Glynda wanted to trust Ozpin but even she couldn't help but see where Ironwood was coming from. Sure Ozpins way of thinking were beyond her understanding and he never pointed her in the wrong direction but this time felt different and Ironwood's concerns were valid.

Ozpin shook his head "I'm sorry James but putting young mister Arc under constant surveillance will only cause him to turn against us like he did to you if I'm not mistaken. If we are to truly change him for the better and remove him from Salems service, trust is a necessity as well as reason".

Ironwood's hands clenched together in anger "reason? What reason would compel Arc to turn against the immortal monster who raised him"?

"Love" Ozpin said matter of factly.

Both Ironwood and Glynda nearly face palmed themselves. "You have got to be kidding me? Please tell me that's not really the plan you've been working on without my knowledge"? Ozpin smiled "it is and I've been working on it for a while, although I'd rather we not tell Raven and Tai about it if you don't mind".

Glynda's eye's widened "yang xiao long and jaune arc, that's why you had me make them partners didn't you"? Ozpin nodded to her question "Love takes on many forms like friendship or boyfriends and girlfriends but a bond between partners can be just as strong. Through out the years I've used my connections to introduce young mister Arc to various people whom I believed would have a positive effect in changing his way of thinking".

Ozpin took a sip from his mug "I figured if anyone could change the boy it would be summers and tai's families. Ravens connection with Nicolas and the fact that jaunes very own sister was a part of their family was a nice start in creating a bond he wouldn't want severed by anyone especially Salem. Going on from there it was only a matter of piling as many people as I could until he couldn't think of turning on them".

There was a certain satisfaction in Ozpins voice that couldn't be missed by anyone present. In a way it felt like manipulation but when dealing with Salems minions there was no low you couldn't go in trying to destroy them or cause them to switch sides. Ironwood continued to listen as Ozpin explained how he got Coco adel and Velvet involved with jaune cause he knew of Coco's ability to befriend most people by choice or force and how velvet would just follow her lead.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair with a small smile "after all that he's gained here I'm sure he'd be willing to help us if it meant preserving the peaceful life he's built for himself". Glynda looked over to James and was relieved to see the man nodding.

"I wish you had told me sooner old friend but I understand your decision and hope for all our sakes it works" Ironwood said. The General still looked a little worried but he hid it well "if there's nothing else I have work to do, Ironwood signing off" there was a click and the General vanished. Ozpin let out a tiny sigh before finishing off his coffee "something tells me that could have gone better".

Glynda couldn't have agreed more.

/

**Atlas**

Ironwood shut down the connection and covered his face with the palm of his hand. "Sir what was all that about and who's Salem" asked the white haired specialist who was silently waiting for Ironwood to finish. The General pushed himself to his feet and walked to the window to think. After a few minutes Ironwood turned back to winter "I suppose having someone I could actually trust wouldn't be so bad".

Winter stood a little taller, proud of the fact that General Ironwood trusted her as much as he did. Ironwood took a deep breath before explaining all that he knew about Salem, the maidens and even the relics. Once he was finished with his tale he moved around his desk to stand before winter with his arms behind his back "normally I would have asked for Ozpins permission to have you join us but not anymore".

James place a hand on winter's shoulder, pulling her out of the shocked state his tale put her in "now it's time we do things a little bit different". Winter nodded obediently "what should we do General"? Ironwood smiled at her "we'll let Ozpin try it his way for now but we will prepare for when Arc shows his true colors and the plan falls apart so we aren't caught off guard. Then I'll do what I should have done from the beginning and lock the Arc boy away for good".

Winter hesitated at first but still managed to ask "and what if Ozpin succeeds"?Ironwood strolled away before linking his hands behind his back "I doubt he can but if he does I'll still keep a eye on him just in case".

**Ozpin you manipulating little scoundrel. Oh well hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Oh and Ironwood's back.**


	50. Chapter 50: to vale

**Another day for our hero jaune arc.**

Something odd was happening in the cafeteria but what that was was anyone's guess but all you had to do was look around the table to see it. Yang took a spoonful of pudding and put it in her mouth as she scanned the table. Ruby and pyrrha sat next to each other in front of her while on her right side Nora hung from Ren's shoulders with a happy grin.

Weiss had excused herself earlier leaving jaune and Blake at the edge of the table sitting next to each other deep in conversation but quiet enough not to be overheard. That right there was the problem. Everyone else was talking to each other but no one bothered to speak to her or even look her way for that matter.

Yangs spoon slipped back into her pudding before she leaned on her right arm and let out a loud sigh. Everyone's conversation stopped except jaune and Blake's "hey jaune" yang called. Her fellow blonde seemed to have heard her since he stopped whatever he was doing and turned to face her "you say something yang"?

Yang nodded in response "what are you and Blake talking about so seriously over there"? Jaune hesitated before turning back to Blake and began whispering amongst themselves. After about a minute jaune turned back to her "just trying to discuss that dinner I owe you".

Yang sat up and hummed in amusement since it was so obviously a lie but since he had broached the subject she wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Seeing the red heads eye's narrow on her only made it more enjoyable since she got the one up on a potential rival. "You don't have to take me anywhere fancy, just a place with good food will be fine" she said with a soft smile.

Jaunes eye's lowered slightly before looking back up to meet violet once more "if it doesn't have to be fancy then why not a home cooked meal". Yang sat up straight and watched him with a questioning gaze "I doubt you know how to cook". He couldn't help but feel offended "you've just never had the chance to try my food and besides I've been trained to make nothing but the best".

Everyone at the table seemed as surprised to hear about jaunes hidden talent as yang. "Wait if you know how to cook how come you've never done it before" yang asked still in disbelief. Jaune shrugged his shoulders "nobody ever asked but I have cooked for Rachel and Dexter before".

Yang rolled her eyes "that doesn't count since their family. Anyways you said you were trained right so who trained you"? "My master obviously" he lied since he couldn't tell them that cinder practically forced him to learn since she didn't want to eat any mediocre food when outside the castle.

Jaune stretched his arms forward to loosen them up "trust me I'll make it a experience you'll never forget but first I'll need someone to go grocery shopping with me". Yang stood up with a large grin on her face "sounds like fun so count me in". Her smile vanished when her fellow blonde shook his head "sorry yang but if this is happening I want it to be a surprise, besides I already have someone I want to take".

Jaune turned to his hooded friend beside him "ruby you up for a trip to vale"? The small girl in red shot to her feet "oh yeah, let's hurry up go and maybe on the way back we can stop by a weapons shop". He couldn't help but smile as ruby waited eagerly to see if he'd allow the detour "well I do need to pick up some more dust bullets".

"Yes" ruby said excitedly while giving a small fist pump.

Jaune turned back to Blake "we'll finish what we were talking about later" he said low enough for only Blake to hear. He pushed himself off the seat before heading towards the exit "ruby I'll meet you at the bullhead landing pad so get ready" he called back. Ruby rushed off to get her weapon - because you can never be to careful especially in vale nowadays - before meeting jaune at the landing pad.

Getting clearance to go to vale was as easy as to be expected and shortly after their arrival they were on their way to the city. Ruby had been thinking about what to talk about with jaune while they flew to vale when she remembered yang and nora's talk at initiation. She could be super sneaky about asking him and would report what she heard back to her cousin.

The idea was so good she had to put it into action "hey jaune I was wondering how things were going with you and yang"? Jaune looked a little surprised at the question before a warm smile spread across his face "we haven't been partners long but I think we're doing okay for now. I'd give it at least a month before we're at each other's throats or getting in trouble together" he said with a slight chuckle.

Ruby could definitely see that happening since her cousin was always quick to anger or always starting bar fights. "You know if you kept yang busy with little things like going out to eat or going to the movies she might not have time to get in so much trouble" she suggested. Jaune thought about her suggestion but ultimately decided against it "I'm supposed to be yangs partner not her father so I can't keep her out of trouble all day long".

His answer obviously wasn't what she was hoping for so she thought a more direct question would break through his obviousness "so what do you think of yang, you know as a woman"? The question was odd to say the least but that didn't stop him from answering "what's there to say? Yangs a lot of things like she's smart, strong, beautiful and kind when she not trying rip you a new one".

Inside ruby's mind she danced as fireworks exploded in the sky after hearing how jaune viewed her cousin. All the excitement and happy thoughts she was having suddenly shattered at the sound of jaunes next few words "I guess to me she pretty much another sister kinda like saphron". That was bad, no girl wanted to hear how their crush of two years only saw them as a sister.

Ruby thought as fast as she could trying to figure out if there was a way to get him to think of yang as anything more than a sister. At first she couldn't think of a reason for why he'd just friend zone someone like yang until she thought of another possibility. "I bet you think blake and pyrrha are pretty amazing too right"?

Jaune nodded his head "blake and me may have had a rocky start at first but I'd like to think we've become pretty good friends. As for pyrrha we've been friends since we were kids but it's only recently that we got back together, who knows how much we've changed in our time apart". After a moment of silence jaune looked to her with a question gaze "ruby is there a reason you keep asking me these type of questions"?

Her body tensed and she knew for certain she had been busted "I was just curious cause, you know"? Truthfully he kinda had a idea about what she was talking about and it never really crossed his mind until now "yeah I think I do". Ruby waited to see if jaune would say something else but all he did was look out the window and remained silent for the rest of the ride.

The bullhead landed and ruby rushed out when the ramp was lowered "we're here" she said loud enough to draw attention. Jaune moved behind ruby and ruffled her hair "calm down it's not the first time you've been to the city you know". Ruby growled as she pulled away from him "yeah but it's the first time I got to come without yang or my parents".

"Ah that makes sense I suppose" he moved passed ruby in the direction of the nearest weapons store he could think of. Ruby flatten her hair down as best she could while following "hey jaune".

"Hmm"?

"About earlier, I'm sorry if I was prying and making things weird" she said a little embarrassed after thinking about it on the ride over. Jaune watched her from the corner of his eye for a few seconds before turning back to the road ahead "it's fine I suppose". The silence grew between them as they walked down the road until jaune spoke "ruby" the small girl looked to her friend "I've never thought about taking any of my relationships to that next level you know"?

Ruby knew exactly how he felt since she was so focused on being a huntress and a hero that the people could count on that she never thought about a boyfriend before. Thinking about it now surprised her after all would she work her entire life away without the thought of a family of her own or a place to go home too. So deep in thought she was that the slight pressure on her right shoulder caused her to flinch but no more so when jaunes hand pulled her into his side.

Ruby's face turned redder than her hood and when she looked up to jaune he gave her a warm smile like he always did when they were together. Jaunes hand let go of her shoulder shortly after and she quickly put a small distance between them while trying to hide her face. Ruby's hands came to her chest and she could feel her heart beating faster than normal "wha-what was that for"?

Jaune raised a brow at the question "well you were about to walk into that street lamp so I thought I'd keep that from happening". Looking behind her, ruby could see the street lamp He was talking about. She let out a deep breath and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by his answer "oh thanks" she said as they arrived at the weapons shop.

Jaune opened the door for ruby before following behind once she was inside. Ruby vanished almost instantly as she left to browse the magazines to see if there was any new articles about attachments for weapons. While she was busy with that jaune left to speak with the store owner to place his order.

Jaune waited for the store owner to return with his order when ruby came running with a magazine in her hand. She had her finger separating the pages and when she got close to him she opened the magazine to show him the contents on the page. On the page showed a scope pure black with a article detailing the three functions built in.

Before jaune could read any further the store owner returned with several small boxes filled with a assortment of dust shell's. The owner looked at the magazine and noticed the scope "Hmm, you know I actually just got some of those in just yesterday if your interested". Ruby's eyes shined with excitement "really?! Do you you have one that's red like this" she asked as she pulled out crescent rose and showed it to the store owner.

The old man inspected the sniper before nodding "I believe I do little lassie" he said before heading to the backroom. Ruby turned to jaune with a confused expression on her face "lassie" she repeated.

"You forgot the little part".

"Hey I'm still growing, just you watch when I get older I'll be drop dead beautiful and I'll have guys throwing themselves at me" she said before crossing her arm's with a satisfied smile. Jaune took his left hand with his right and tossed it at ruby, letting it slap into her arm before falling back to his side. The confused look she gave him made jaune smile "you can never replace a first and this makes me the first guy to be thrown at you" .

"Gah" Ruby's face turned red before she started punching his arm and kicking his leg all while jaune laughed at her expense. The sound of items crashing to the ground drew their attention and jaune quickly hopped over the counter and moved to the backroom to see the door cracked open. Jaune looked through the crack and saw a few individuals that made his teeth grind together.

Next thing he knew he felt ruby push herself between him and the door so she could see what was happening. Jaunes reaction was automatic as his left arm wrapped around her body to keep her from moving and his right stopped her from speaking. Ruby growled and struggled to get free but her eye's never once left the men she saw inside.

Adam Taurus and Roman Torchwick stood next to each other and from the looks of it were working together.

**Done with this, now on to the next one. This was a little longer then I expected but I hope you enjoy it.**


	51. Chapter 51: VS

**Kinda got a bit lazy thanks to the cold weather but now I'm back and better than ever. In fact I think I'll start on the next chapter right now.**

Restraining ruby was probably the best call he made today since she was so clearly ready to go after Romans head that she ignored the other danger in the room. Jaune looked through the crack to make sure none of them knew they were there. When he was sure they hadn't heard him he lowered his head to whisper in ruby's ear "I'm going to let you go but don't you dare try to run in there".

The small girl glared back at him before giving a muffled reply swearing to listen to his orders since he was a team leader. Jaunes hand left her mouth so she could speak more clearly but he still held her in place with his other hand just in case. Ruby pulled crescent rose from behind her but placed it on the floor so jaune would know she was serious about following orders.

The message was clear and he removed his arm from around her before adjusting himself so the two could look through the doors crack.

"Mr Torchwick what are you doing here" the store owner asked. Roman walked through the stock room eyeing several weapon cases filled with fire arms that were likely to be sold at cheaper prices. "Oh you know just browsing for some gear for a little party in the coming months" torchwick said as he picked up a hand gun from the weapons case.

The shop owner didn't seem bothered by the request instead he seemed far more eager to help the crook then anything. "Ah I see, well if your looking for quality weaponry you needn't look any further" the owner motioned to the array of weapons, armour and attachments they could purchase. Adam took one look around and huffed "all this looks like second hand junk to me show us the good stuff".

The owner glared at the bull faunus "I didn't think animals were blind as well a stupid. If you don't have any business here I'd like you to leave your stench is stinking up my shop". Adam placed his hand on the hilt of his sword but Roman stopped him by dropping the hand gun in front of the shop owner.

"Tch, you call that quality goods" Roman pointed his cane towards the discarded weapon at the owners feet. "I've gotten a better arms deal from a street punk but unfortunately I suppose beggars can't be choosers and you at least have enough for what I need". Torchwick pulled out a cigar and held it out to the shop owner "before we do business I'll need a light first".

The store owner pulled out a lighter and lit the end of Romans cigar. Torchwick puffed a few times before flicking some of the ash away "right, now where were we again"?

Ruby looked up to jaune "we can't let them get away with those weapons who knows what they'll be used for". Jaune didn't disagree with her on that "alright we make our move together". Reaching down ruby picked up her crescent rose and held it at the ready before looking back to him. Her eye's drifted down slightly noticing the scroll in his hand "jaune even if we called our teams they wouldn't arrive in time" she whispered.

The blonde held up his scroll so ruby could see he was actually recording the conversation Roman and the rest were having. Ruby was surprised cause she didn't know when he had started recording. Jaune put his scroll away and pulled out his weapons "move on my mark and take out Roman as fast as you can".

"What about you"?

Jaunes eye's narrowed on the bull faunus "I'll take the one with the red hair and bull horns". There was a certain edge in his voice that offered no room for discussion.

Roman pulled out a slip of paper that he handed over to the store owner "get me everything on that list and I'll make sure you get your money's worth". Adam grabbed torchwick's shoulder and spun the crook around to face him "this deal isn't over until you get my people weapons that'll actually work and not this trash". The thief was about to respond when the door blasted opened and a red blur flew in and with great force slammed the blunt end of her scythe into the crooks head.

Roman hit the ground hard cracking the wood of the floor with his face. There was a few seconds that Adam was frozen in shock from what just transpired that left his flank open for a secondary opponent to close in. Adam heard movement behind him and instinctively used his sheath to block the incoming attack as he spun on his heel.

His eye's widened behind the mask as he not only realized who was attacking him but just how horribly he had blocked the initial attack. The barrel of jaunes handgun leaned against the side of Adams sheath with the muzzle facing Adams face. Before he could move the trigger was pulled and a bullet smashed into Adams mask causing his head to rock back. Jaune took the opportunity to push the sheath away and delivered a kick to Adams chest launching him into the nearby wall.

Jaune made to continue his attack but the site of ruby flying passed and slamming into the floor gave him pause. The sound of a single shot from a rifle drew jaunes attention back to his foe only to see the hilt of a sword flying towards him. Instinct kicked in as jaune pulled his combat blade to deflect the flying sword back the way it came.

The katana didn't get very far as Adam moved quickly catching the sword with his right hand before it got too high in the air. Adam brought his sword down aiming to slice his enemy in two but jaune side stepped to the left and let the blade fly passed him. Jaune didn't let the moment go when he spun the handgun in his hand as he side stepped before throwing a left that caught the side of Adams jaw.

The strike felt off and jaune realized why when Adam spun on the spot and delivered a spin kick that struck jaunes back. Jaune was pushed forward by the attack but quickly turned towards Adam in time to deflect two slashes. The first attack came from the left side and the second came from above but were both blocked when jaune shifted his knife to it's long sword form.

Jaune tried to put some distance between them but Adam was relentless in his pursuit. Their battle descended into a high speed game of tag as jaune and Adam raced about the back room with each trying there hardest to land a effective hit. Black and red blades smashed into each other with neither giving way under the intense force of their respective owners attacks.

Jaune defended against another side slash when Adam drew his sword from his sheath. The attack didn't end there especially when Adam tossed his blade at him and the sword spun like a saw as it clashed against black steel. The red katana shot upwards and was caught by it's owner before he brought it down full of power from his semblance.

A fierce roar tore from Adams lips as he slammed his katana down causing a explosion that destroyed a portion of the stores wall. Jaune had saw Adams hair and sword glow with a ominous red and knew tanking his attack wouldn't have been in his best interest so he lowered his stance and fired his gun backwards.

The force of his gun launched jaune under Adam and out of the way of his attack with a second shot in front of him jaune was sent back towards the way he came and where Adam was now. Ducking low allowed jaune to dodge the side slash Adam tried before jumping upward delivering a slash diagonally up Adams chest. The spin kick jaune launched while in the air crashed into Adams face, shattering the mask and revealing the scar beneath.

Ruby's eye twitched as she looked between the fight jaune was in and the downed thief. Something weird was happening cause one minute she was over by torchwick before she felt someone pull her hood and threw her away. The answer became clear when Romans hat began to crack and the illusion shattered along with the rest of his body to reveal someone ruby knew all too well.

Neo was crouched on the floor with the tip of her parasol exactly where the fake Romans head used to be. Another crack appeared just a few feet from neo and just like the first it shattered to reveal ruby's original target. Roman puffed on the last bit of his cigar before flicking it away "nice try red but I knew you were coming long before you did".

Ruby held her scythe at the ready but had trouble figuring out who she should engage first, torchwick or neo. Her eye's fell on neo and she just couldn't figure out why her friend was working for a criminal like him. Ruby felt pain in her chest from this betrayal but she knew jaune would be devastated once he found out.

Something clicked in ruby's mind and the image of jaune looking downcasted when he said that neo found something she wanted to do more than be a huntress played in her mind. Realization dawned on her and the sadness she felt deepened because she knew that jaune tried to keep the truth cause he knew it would hurt her. Sadness turned to anger and ruby glared at her pink and brown haired friend "how could you"?!

Neo's face held a blank expression and that only angered ruby more "we trusted you, jaune trusted you and this is how you treat your friends?! Why"?! Neo's eye's turned to the blonde who was still dealing with the faunus before looking back to ruby. Her expression saddened as her eye's looked down at the floor in shame before Roman cut in "sorry red but neo's been working with me long before she ever met any of you".

Romans attention seemed to wander of for a split second before he let out a sigh "there's just never enough time in the day sometimes I swear". Ruby didn't understand what he was talking about until the faint sounds of sirens were heard in the distance. The thief stood a little straighter "well red it's been nice seeing you again but let's not do this anytime soon".

Ruby wasn't going to give them a chance to escape so she used her semblance to close the distance between them. Roman knew she'd try and stop them if she could so he lifted his cane and fired at ruby when she came after him. The fire dust shot would have missed when ruby zipped out of the way but Roman was just as quick and caught his fire dust with the handle of his cane. The attack was quickly redirected into ruby's path blasting her out of the air and into a nearby shelf with ammunition on it.

"Rambunctious little kid isn't she" he asked neo only to get not even a shrug in response. Roman shook his head before turning to Adam "authorities are coming, time to wrap things up". Adam growled as he put his sword in his sheath "this isn't over Arc I swear I'll have you head if it's the last thing I do". Jaune tried to stop the bull faunus but Adam unleashed a powerful slash that destroyed the floor and filled the room with dust and debris.

The blonde stood at the ready just in case but when the dust cleared Roman, neo and Adam had vanished. Jaune put his sword away as he called out to ruby to see if she was ok. Ruby was all about speed which meant taking as little damage as possible as she fought. Unfortunately taking a fire dust blast to the gut was a little more than she was used to but she pushed through the pain and pulled herself out of the rubble "I'm ok" she called back.

Funny cause the only thing really damaged was her pride as a huntress.

**Poor ruby 2 to nothing in the bad guy catching department.**


	52. Chapter 52: what to do

**I've been thinking that maybe I should write about this jaunes story from back when he was a kid to show what he learned throughout the years I skipped. It'd be like a spinoff of the Salems knight series plus I'd let me show what cinder, vernal and jaune were like together with mama Salem. Well it's just a thought for now.**

Ruby and jaune rushed out of the store to meet the cops as they arrived only to see the store owner standing with one of the cops that arrived earlier than the rest. As soon as the store owner saw the two teens he pointed at them "that's them officer they went crazy and destroyed my shop". Ruby's mouth dropped opened in shock "that's a lie...I mean yeah we did probably do some damage but it's not what you think".

The store owner looked to the officer "you see she admits it" before any more could be said jaune pulled ruby back and approached the police car. Reaching into his pocket jaune pulled out his scroll and with a few taps he pulled up the recording he caught of the two criminals along with the store owner. The officer watched the blonde carefully as he held the scroll out for him to take "we did cause damages sir but only because we were doing our duties as hunters in training".

The officer looked over to rest of his unit before turning back to jaune "and what exactly did these duties pertain too"? Jaune pointed to his scroll now in the officers hand "what's recorded on my scroll is a illegal arms deal that went down in this shop between a renown terrorist along with vales very own master thief and this store owner". The store owners face began to pale and that fact didn't go unnoticed by the police officer barley a few feet away.

The officer pressed play on the scroll and everything that was said in the backroom was revealed to everyone within hearing distance. Jaune watched as the store owner attempted to make a run for it but was ultimately stopped when ruby tackled him to the ground. "Your under arrest" ruby said as she fought to keep the elder man from getting away.

Three of the five police officers moved to help the young huntress in subduing the store owner. Ruby stood a little taller as the police led the store owner to the police car "thanks for the help miss" one of the younger officers said as he passed by. Over by jaune the first officer collected what evidence he could from the blonde before tipping his hat to the young huntsmen and returning to his car.

Ruby waved as some of the cops left "well at least we caught one bad guy" she said proudly before remembering the three that got away. She felt a hand on top of her head and turned to see jaune with a pleased smile "you mean you caught one bad guy. not bad for a huntress in training" jaune said before walking down the street away from the bullhead dock.

Ruby didn't know where he was going but followed after him anyway. As they walked for a few minutes in silence ruby came to a stop, swayed slightly before slumping forward. Jaune turned to see what was wrong when ruby looked to the heavens and cried out "my scope"! It took everything he had to hold back his laughter since it was obvious how serious ruby was about losing out on a attachment for crescent rose.

Jaune fiddled with the inside of his sweater before pulling out a box. He pushed the box into ruby's hands and wait for what was going to happen next. Ruby turned the box and saw the scope she wanted printed on the side and most surprising was that it was the same shade of red as crescent rose.

"Oh my goodness I can't believe it" she squealed with excitement "when did you have time to buy this"? Jaune scratched the side of his cheek "I didn't". The small girl in red looked to her friend with disbelief in her eye's "jaune that's stealing".

"I'm leaning towards confiscated".

"JAUNE"!

The blonde rolled his eyes "look if it makes you feel better I feel terrible about it". His eyes turned back to his friend only to see the scope free from it's boxed containment and gently being caressed like a small baby. The small girl seemed to draw excitement from stroking the side of the red scope "well as long as you've learned your lesson" she cooed.

Jaune shook his head and turned away before she started making out with the thing "come on let's get yang her food before she thinks I ran away". The two got back on track to complete the original mission they came to vale for.

/

**Romans secret hideout**

Vernal walked into the hideout only to hear plenty of angry grunts coming from the backroom. When she opened the door she saw Roman sitting in a chair with a bag of chips in his hand. Vernal slid into the empty chair next to the thief before leaning over "what you watching"?

Roman placed a finger on his chin as he as he thought "I call it the beast unleashed, uncensored of course". The brunette nodded at his words "personally I'm rooting for the box". Roman nodded as he continued to watch Adam slice and smash a box that had been emptied of its dust, all because he was angry.

Adams head turned in their direction "you think this is funny?! Running away with our tail between our legs while those bastards not only pat themselves on the back but also deprive us of those weapons we need! Vernal could see where he was coming from but noticed how Roman didn't seem to mind the current situation.

"Why don't you just say why your really angry" Roman said while pulling out a new cigar. When he reached into his pocket to get his lighter all Roman felt was nothing but air "great" he said before putting his cigar away. Vernal looked to the thief with a questioning gaze while Adam glared at the man.

"Ok I'll bite what's the bulls problem" vernal asked after a few minutes of silence. Roman flashed her a smile "he's angry cause he got his ass handed to him by that guy he's always going on about". Vernal couldn't hide the surprised expression that spread across her features "so that's why he's mad? Lame".

Adam sheathed his sword and looked ready to attack vernal when a new voice caught everyone's attention. "It's bad enough that I have to listen to Emerald and Mercury bicker like children so I would appreciate it if the adults in the room would act as they should". Everyone turned to see the newest person to enter the room, cinder and all her I'm better than thou attitude.

Vernal couldn't help but roll her eye's at the woman and why not? Cinder portrayed herself as calm, cool and in control with a slew of plan's that could topple a kingdom but nobody knew the real truth. Behind closed doors and away from her subordinates cinder was a nervous wreck, always pacing back and forth, trying to make plans for her plans only to regress to believing in Alec's plan.

If their was one thing vernal would praise cinder for it was that she was one hell of a actress when she needed to be.

"Roman I heard you mentioned something quite interesting" cinder said to the thief. Roman removed his hat just in case the woman in front of him decided she needed target practice again "what you mean the kid Adam fought? That's hardly something I'd consider interesting". Cinder shook her head as she moved to the center of the room "that's because you see this as the single encounter it is. What you need to be looking at is what this will become when it starts to be a recurring thing".

Roman chuckled lightly "what makes you think this will continue as you predicted"?

Cinder looked to Adam "when you fought this man did it seem like he had a personal reason to take you down"? The bull faunus thought back to the fight in the weapons shop and distinctly remembered being the blondes only target. Through it all it felt like it was just them two trying to kill each other "he did I could tell by the look in his eyes" Adam admitted.

The confirmation brought a smile to cinders face "and there you have it" she said turning back to Roman. "From what Adam has told us about this man and his continued meddling throughout the years it's obvious there's a personal grudge that goes both ways between them. Now that he knows your involved with the white fang and that he could possibly use you to get to Adam, that man will take action against you which I must remind you will cause problems for my plans for Beacon".

Torchwick let out a sigh before patting his pockets in search of his lighter "damn it where the hell is that blasted thing" he mumbled before giving up. The thief picked his hat up and place it on his head before rising to his feet "alright cinder I'll take care not to get caught so the bull doesn't lose a horn". Adam watched as Roman left the room before speaking up "the sooner we get all this done the sooner I can sever that bastards head from his shoulders".

Cinder was hardly impressed with the two men she had to work with but the news of someone strong enough to stand up to Adam and torchwick appealed to her. "Adam what can you tell me of your assailant" she asked the faunus only to see the bull faunus leaving out the door "he doesn't concern you so stay out of it". The low whistle that came from vernal caused cinder to give her a murderers glare.

She was not used to being talked back to like that but this was apparently what happened when Salem had her people working together. All the tension that was left in the room wore on cinder so she left to do the one thing that would calm her down get some food and her favorite red wine. Just before cinder vanished from the room vernal heard her final words "I miss jaunes food".

"If this keeps up I might develop abandonment issues" vernal said just before she pulled out Roman's lighter and tossed it in the air. When the lighter came back down she caught it in the opposite hand and placed it in her pocket before she too left the room.

/

**Beacon academy**

Later that night jaune stood alone on the roof taking in the cool air when the door to the roof opened. The creak from the door announced the arrival of the person he'd been waiting for. Blake stepped out on the roof quietly waiting for him to notice her.

"Dinner went well if yang wants me to be the team's personal chef".

Blake rolled her eyes "jaune focus" .

"Alright alright" jaune said with a slight chuckle before turning to her with a more serious expression now plastered over his face "Adam and Torchwick". Blake nodded to his words and knew the severity of them "I may not have liked Roman but I never believed he'd turn on junior". Jaune agreed with her on that "the point is he did which means the white fangs threat has become much worse especially with this gang war going on".

Blake nodded "what do we do"?

Jaunes eye's hardened and Blake felt a fear in her that she hadn't felt in a while and his words only confirmed her worries.

"We just eliminate all of them it's that simple".

**Jaune my boy you worry me sometimes. On a side note I can't help but feel my disinterest growing with RWBY'S actual plot so I've decided that if volume 8 becomes a disappointment I'm dropping the series. Not this fan fiction but the actual series.**


	53. Chapter 53: Decisions

**So I watched the trailer for volume 8 and I gotta say some parts really disappointed me. The fact Nora is up for leaving Atlas and mantle when she was the one who argue for the people The most was disappointing. Then the whole thing with yang apparently taking command of most of jaunes team really bothered me cause come on it's his team but apparently the writers don't care about that much.**

**Also I noticed that most of jaunes team want to stay and help mantle while most of RWBY want to leave which is close to my idea of the JNPR story I talked about earlier. As for Salem getting The relic of knowledge...well that kinda disappointed me cause now it seems like cinder went back to being Salems lackey. Hopefully there will be some good things that come of this but I don't know we'll just have to wait and see.**

The day had barely started and for some reason it felt like a crap load of things were about to go wrong. Junior just finished cleaning the last of his cups when the last glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the ground. A bad omen if you believed in that sort of thing.

When junior looked up to see both Blake and jaune approaching with very serious expression on their faces he suddenly became a believer. Jaune didn't bother to take a seat and neither did blake so junior knew right away that this needed to be private. The bar owner gave a small hand gesture letting them know to follow him somewhere with less people to listen in on their conversation.

The main office had a very expensive desk with all the tools needed for paper work and a relaxing time. Junior sat in his comfy chair and waited for the other to to do the same in the wooden ones in front of the desk. Once they were all seated it was time for business "if you got something to say spit it out already".

Jaune nodded before pulling out his scroll and placing it in front of junior "on my scroll there's a recording of Roman trying to make a arm's deal". If that was true junior didn't see a problem with that but what jaune said next only proved how crappy this day was going to be. "The deal Roman was working towards was to get enough fire arms for his partner and the men who served him". Jaune tapped the screen of his scroll and a familiar face appeared "Adam Taurus and the white fang".

It was early in the day but that didn't stop junior from opening the first drawer in his desk and pulling out the half drunken whiskey bottle he had left. He had a choice between a shot glass or his glass cup and unfortunately the choice was easily made. The glass cup was set on a cup holder before junior fetched some ice for his drink. When junior sat down and poured a decent enough brown liquid into his glass he took a sip before returning back to the conversation.

"I guess honor among thieves and all that other stuff is dead, just like chivalry" junior said. Jaune shook his head "even if that's true you can't just go belly up and let the fang take over"! Junior slammed his fist onto the table "don't you think I know that already?! My problem isn't that I've lost all hope but the fact of the reality is that now I've got a fully trained huntsmen who knows me well enough to give the edge to my enemies"!

Junior moved his glass cup to the edge of the table before pulling a rolled up map of vale out from under his table. The bartender unrivalled the map and used his cup on one side to keep it steady while using the whiskey bottle for the other side. Jaune looked over the map and noticed white and red marks litter the paper almost equally sharing half of the map.

Junior tapped his finger on a red mark "places with the color red represent my gang's territory while the white are the fangs". Jaune and Blakes eye's widened "that shouldn't even be possible" Blake said as she rose to her feet. Normally it would've been impossible to take so much territory in such a short amount of time but then again that's what happened when you had a traitor who was good at staying off the radar.

At some point jaune had stood up as well and placed a firm hand on Blake's shoulder forcing her to calm herself. Junior sat back in his chair and let out a tired sigh "with Roman helping the fang it feels like a up hill battle just trying to hold what's mine but even still".

"The white fangs too strong" jaune finished.

Junior nodded "even with all my men we just can't fight them as well as Atlas could. After so many years of fighting the Atlas military and learning to use their own military tactics against them what could a bunch of thugs growing up on the streets do against that. Then there's the fact that the fang is paying off the cops so they won't get involved with this mess and the huntsmen are about as useless as a pile of crap since vale refuses to ask them for help".

"Then why don't you just ask for help" Blake asked.

Junior laughed at the suggestion "no offense but asking the huntsmen to stop my rival for the underground is as good as asking them to send me to prison. The huntsmen and huntresses only do one thing and that's beat the bad guys and save the day, to them there is no grey area. If the hunters got involved you'd best believe they'd move to take me, the fang and probably Roman down leaving vale with a power vacuum that could turn a bad day into a shit show".

"Then your gonna need better fighters on your side to turn the tides" jaune said as he placed both palms of his hands on the table. Junior nodded to the blonde "that's true and I'm guessing you and Blake are willing to throw in with us but what can just two hunters do in this situation"? Jaune smiled viciously "just me alone would be enough to wipe out a warehouse full of white fang members but with Blake and her inside knowledge of the fang we'd do some real damage".

Junior was surprised "you never told me she used to be white fang"? The blonde nodded "true and for good reason I mean would you have taken her on if you knew what her former job was"? The bartender rubbed his beard in thought "I suppose I wouldn't have".

Hearing that had Blake's cat ears going down as she felt slightly saddened at the reputation of the organization her family built. Jaune tapped on his scroll and sent a list of things to junior "have those by tonight and I'll start cleaning up some of the fang". His finger tapped on a warehouse at the far end of the map near the wall of the kingdom "this will be the perfect place to announce your new enforcers".

Junior nodded "if we're sending a message to the fang then your gonna need to do more than just knocking out a few guys. Your gonna have to get your hands dirty if you know what I mean" junior said. Blake's eye's narrowed on the bartender "I'm not about to just go around killing people for no good reason".

"I've got no problem with it".

Blake stared wide eyed at the blonde next to her "jaune you can't". Jaunes eye's met hers and Blake didn't see any doubts or hesitation. "I can and I will not because I want to but because this needs to be done" he said. Blake stood her ground "no there is always another way, killing more people won't solve anything and we've got plenty of time to come up with another plan".

The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence and Blake feared he wasn't going to listen to reason but when he nodded to her she felt immense relief. Jaune looked back to junior "what's the situation in vale at the moment"? Junior pick up his glass and took a swig from it "it's bad, the white fang are charging heavy fees for protection from the human store owners. Those that can't pay are pretty much ran out of business and faunus establishments are brought up in their place".

"What about the faunus? Are they being charged for the protection fees as well"?

Junior shook his head "no their being given leeway so that the fang has a stronger hold in the city. From an outside prospective it looks like plain business but truthfully it's more of a hostel takeover by faunus kind". Junior looked to Blake "look I know you don't want to get your hands dirty but without a big gun to put fear in the fang my people won't have a chance. Showing my people we can not only win some of these fight but also take back what's ours will give them the moral to keep going".

Blake shook her head "no killing isn't the answer"! "Try telling them that" junior argued "every day more and more of my people are coming back hurt or not at all because the fang doesn't care if they live or die so long as they win"! Jaune stood quietly on the side thinking of ways they could do this as Blake wanted but each time he thought about it the problem remained the same, they had too many enemies.

Something else clicked in jaunes mind "junior where are the fang getting all these soldiers from"? The bartender sighed "I got word that attacks in Atlas have come to a complete halt which means now all that manpower would be wasted unless it had a new target". Jaune worried Blake was about to have a heart attack when she nearly fell back "that...that can't be! Sienna would never allow that to happen".

"Or maybe you just don't know her as well as you thought" junior said. The room filled with silence until Blake took a seat in her chair "even with us there's no fighting against the entirety of the white fang" she whispered dreadfully. Jaune nodded "yeah we can't but we don't have a choice". Blake looked to the blonde like he was insane and truthfully he probably was but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Jaunes eye's hardened "get me that gear I need and I'll get started. I'm going to start with the warehouse I mentioned before and from there I'll work my way down". Junior nodded "what about your classes in Beacon? If you spend all your time trying to help us down here you might not be able to attend all your classes".

"Supplementary classes with miss goodwitch or the fate of vales underground? Hmm I think a few make up classes would be just fine after all this" he said. Blake couldn't see how he could joke like this was a game but she could see why he'd throw himself into the fray.

She was afraid but knew that one person couldn't do it alone "I'll help too" she whispered. Jaune and junior turned to the cat faunus "Blake are you sure? This will mean not only stopping but killing people you may have known when you were back in the fang". She didn't want to kill but more than that she didn't want the people she met and came to care for suffer because of the fang.

She stood up once more "I'll do what I have to". The determination in her face was enough for jaune and apparently it was enough for junior as well "I'll have everything by tonight so be ready".

**Dark times are coming and Blake will have to see if she's really up to doing the deed. In case anyone was wondering jaune has changed after being with his friends in vale so he's a little softer than the cold blooded killer he used to be. That doesn't mean he won't kill it just means he's easily influenced to not go that far anymore.**


	54. Chapter 54: pain and sorrow

**Well this is what the set up led to and frankly I'm ok with it.**

"I might not be back tonight so don't stay up late".

Yang looked up from her scroll to her team leader "jaune I'm 17 not 5 and I'm a teenager so by all rights I'm going to what I want whether you like it or not". Jaune rolled his eyes before looking to his other teammate "weiss your the responsible one so you'll be in charge while I'm away". The white haired heiress couldn't help but smile proudly at the recognition "seeing as how you desperately need my help I'll gladly oblige".

Jaune raised a brow to the heiress "well I'm not desperate I mean there's always nora". Both of them looked to the pink bomber to see her bouncing on the bed like a 3 year old child. Weiss stood from the bed, walked over to jaune and forcefully pushed him out the door "no take backs" she said before slamming the door.

Blake was leaning against the wall with a large smirk on her face that said yeah I saw that. Jaune glared at the cat faunus before walking away to get to the bullheads landing pad where they would take a ride back to vale. The two were quiet for a while until they were sure they were alone "Blake are you-" the cat faunus cut him off "don't ask again you'll just make this harder for me".

The blonde understood and refrained from bringing it up again so it didn't hurt or confuse her. Once they made it to vale they headed for the warehouse that they had planned to target. Jaune and Blake made sure to change into their new gear before vanished into the night.

/

Two faunus stood atop the old warehouses roof keeping guard of the only entrance inside. "This gig is a little too easy don't you think" the tallest faunus asked his partner. The short faunus let his rifle hang from it's strap while he opened a bag of gummy worms "yeah but you don't hear me complaining".

The taller faunus shook his head "that's because your ass is lazy...hey you gonna eat all those or are you gonna share"? The shorter faunus looked to his partner and chuckled "now why would I share with you when you just called my ass lazy"? The taller faunus shrugged "sharing is caring"?

"Whatever here" the shorter faunus said as he held out the bag of gummies. The taller faunus took a few and let his rifle hang from it's strap so he could munch out "we should've brought some cards or something". The smaller faunus let out a sigh before turning to his partner "yeah we probably should have".

The taller faunus looked over the roof but saw nothing which is why it was such a surprise when two hatchets found their way into the two faunus's heads. Two hooded figures climbed atop the roof each sporting suits like juniors gang only with a longer coat that had a hood attached to it with a red almost biker helmet covering their faces. On the red helmet of the males was the letter J for Jekyll and for the female was a B for Belle.

Belle watched as Jekyll walked up to the two dead faunus and ripped the two hatchets out of their heads. Behind the mask Blake gritted her teeth as she watch jaune carry on as if the two people he killed didn't matter. Her eye's looked back at the two men and she felt ashamed for what she was doing, these men had families and friends who would never see them smile or laugh again because of them.

After cleaning the hatchets off Jekyll stuck them on his belt to free his hands so he could pull out the large axe he carried with him. The axe was the same kind you would find when trying to cut down a tree and sported the same colors as their clothes.

Jekyll pushed the door open before turning to Belle "no going back now so be ready to fight like your life depends on it". Belle nodded before stretching her fingers out so two handguns fell free from her sleeves into her hands. She went to walk by when she felt Jekyll's hand on her shoulder stopping her from proceeding "for what it's worth I'm sorry".

The words came like a whisper on the wind and for a second she thought she had misheard him but before she could confirm his words Jekyll walked through the door. Belle followed close behind her partner as they moved through the staircase in silence until they came to a hallway with no more than four doors. Jekyll looked left and right taking in the fact that there was two doors on each side and that the hallway led to a door that most likely had more rooms on the other side.

Jekyll held his free hand up and motion for Belle to take position in front of the door on their right. She quickly did as he suggested and Jekyll himself moved to the door on the left. Belle kept her eyes on the door but her mind continued to question what she was doing and how she let it come to this.

Before her mind could continue to berate her with more questions a knock on a door broke her out of her daydream. Belle turned to see Jekyll hold the axe with one hand as he waited. There was a scramble going on behind the the door before someone managed to open it. A faunus man with most of his chest bare and the only clothes he had on were some blue jeans stood in the open doorway with a girl trying to tidy up in the back.

It took the male faunus a brief second to realize who was at the door and even less then that for Jekyll to split his skull with one swin of his axe. The man body fell back when Jekyll pulled the axe free and used his foot to push the body off the blade. The female faunus screamed in terror at the carnage so Jekyll moved to silence her.

The scream permeated through the walls alerting every faunus within the warehouse that trouble had come. The door Belle had been standing next to opened and a faunus with glasses caught sight of the gun pointed at him. Belle turned to see the faunus pull out his own gun and instinct took over before she could stop herself.

There was a bang and the next thing she saw was the faunus gripping his throat as blood flowed between his fingers. He stumbled backwards and fell against the back wall all while struggling to breath but to no avail. Belle stood frozen in place as she watched the man's face that was visible without the mask go through a myriad of emotions before the end.

This was not what Belle wanted and yet here she was with one of her kind shot by her own hand. The gun trembled in her hand as she watched the faunus's face change from frantic from being shot to drowsy from the lack of oxygen and blood loss to finally going calm and still. Jekyll stepped out of the room once the female faunus was silenced and saw Belle, still with her arm stretched out as if she was going to shoot again.

The doors at the end of the hallway bersted open and more faunus than he could count appeared with firearms ready to fire at a moment's notice. Jekyll didn't have time to console his partner as he began to spin his axe in front of him with enough speed to deflect the bullets from hitting them both. Belle seemed to snap out of her stupor as the firing began and realized she could beat herself up later but for right now she needed to be more than dead weight to her partner.

Jekyll felt a foot on his shoulder and looked up to see Belle soar above him and land in the center of the crowd of faunus. "Don't think just do" Belle continued to say those words as she fired off one shot after another into the faunus's that surrounded her. She needed to survive and to do that she needed to keep fighting but she lacked the motivation which is why she surrounded herself with people who wanted her dead so she could do what needed to be done.

Instinct took hold and she fought with everything she had and killed without hesitation. While the faunus focused on the enemy in their ranks Jekyll rushed them from behind. Blood and bullets littered the floor, the walls and the very clothes they wore but they couldn't stop to clean up not while the job still needed to be done.

The more they fought the more the white fang realized just how out classed they really were. Belle shot three people one right after the other before her gun ran out of ammo so she chucked the gun at a faunus woman that ran at her and knocked her out. The gun bounced into the air and ejected the empty clip as it flew back to it's owner so Belle pulled out another clip and stuck it in the empty gun before firing off another volley of bullets.

Jekyll made sure to stay out of Belle's line of fire which wasn't exactly easy to do but he made do with what he had. Ducking under a man with a bat Jekyll sliced off the man's leg and stomped on his head when he fell to the floor before tossing his axe at the next person to come his way. A male faunus caught the worst of it as the flying axe stabbed into his chest and knocked him into the people behind him.

Jekyll reached behind him and pulled out the two hatchets for a little duel wielding action as he marched forward. The fighting moved from the first two rooms all the way downstairs until they reached the ground level. A mountain of corpses was forming and Jekyll knew some had grown a brain and ran away so he wouldn't add them to the pile.

In a way he was ok with that but when the final faunus was cut down he had to wonder how they were gonna spread their name without a witness who knew them.

He didn't notice at first but a few white fang members pretended to be dead so they wouldn't actually join their brothers and sisters in the afterlife. When one took a chance and tried to take him out while he wasn't looking he caught on to their scheme and caught the faunus with his hatchet.

The faunus dropped and the last few alive tried to make a run for it while two tried to hold him off. The first another male was grabbed by his throat by Jekyll and had his trachea crushed while the second faunus was tossed against the wall knocking her out.

Belle leaned against a wall and quickly discarded her helmet before puking on the floor. Jekyll watched her to make sure she was alright until he heard the unconscious faunus groan. He grabbed the faunus by her hair and pinned her to the wall before bringing up his last hatchet and placing it at her throat.

The girl finally coming to realize what was happening began to whimper when she felt the blade of the hatchet touch her skin. "Please please don't kill me" she begged and when Jekyll let go of her hair she thought she had gotten through to him but when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a envelop she realized he had other plans for her. Jekyll held the envelope out for her to take "take this to your boss and tell them we're coming" he said.

The girl nodded and went to leave when he let her go but stopped when he called out to her.

"Don't ever let me see you around again or next time you'll end up like them" he said before motioning to the bloody corpses that laid about. The faunus gave a single bow before running as fast as she could. Jekyll looked to his partner one last time "we're done here let's go home" he said as he moved to the exit and then back to juniors place.

After navigating the back streets to avoid the cops and citizens of vale they arrived at juniors bar. Slipping in through the back door they made their way to juniors main office and after a few knocks they entered the room. Junior took one look at them and let out a sigh "I went ahead and prepared two bedrooms for you guys to use since Beacons bullheads aren't taking passengers now".

The two nodded before heading to the door but came to a halt when junior called to them "make sure you take a shower and get something to eat. Also make sure to leave your gear out for my boys to clean since your gonna need it for your next mission". Jekyll and Belle did as they were told and dropped off their gear after taking a shower before they were shown to their bedrooms.

Now unmasked Blake left with jaune to get some food but as they sat at a table with their meals in front of them Blake couldn't muster the strength to eat. Her eye's looked up to see jaune munching away at his cheeseburger like he hadn't eaten in days. Blake's grimace grew with each passing second and she just couldn't understand how he could be ok after all that they did today.

After being fed they return to their bedrooms to rest but unlike all the students in Beacon sleeping soundly in their beds Blake continued to toss and turn in her sleep. Blake curled into a ball and covered her ears as best she could while Adam screamed and yelled about how she was a hypocrite and a murderer just like him.

When it wasn't Adam yelling at her it was the voices of the dead and the memories of all the people she killed that day. They cursed her for what she had done and at times it felt like the guilt alone would crush her and she just didn't know what to do. Blake sat up in her bed and felt her face the wet parts of her cheeks made her realize that she had been crying in her sleep and when she looked to the clock on the wall only an hour had passed since she went to bed.

"Was this how it was going to be from now on" she couldn't help but question. She pulled off the covers and pushed herself out of the bed before heading to the door. Only one person had the answers she was looking for and she would make him tell the truth or he'd know what a angry huntress was truly like.

Blake marched through the hallway of juniors place until she found jaunes room. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door half expecting he'd somehow know she was coming. When it was clear he didn't expect her and wasn't waiting for her to knock she knocked again. The sound of footsteps could be heard from inside before the door opened and a sleepy jaune greeted her.

He never even had a chance to ask if she wanted to come in when Blake pushed passed him and entered the room. Jaune closed the door and turned to his friend when Blake rounded on him with a fierce glare "when does it end"? Her voice cracked part way through and jaune noticed the tears that refused to fall lining her eye's.

The question that she asked was easily answered because he had been asked once before with that same expression by another "it doesn't". The answer didn't please the cat faunus at all and she began to pace back and forth "I can't do this, I won't" she whispered over and over again. A hand reached out and stopped her from pacing before jaunes voice pulled her out of her own mind.

At first she couldn't comprehend what he had said so jaune repeated his question "what's wrong"? Blake looked at him with disbelief "what's wrong?! What's wrong is that I can't sleep! What's wrong is that every time I close my eyes I see all those people I killed"!

Blake's tears ran free cause she didn't have the strength to hold them back anymore "I see it all the time, their deaths, what I did and they continue to blame me for it and worse I know their right". Jaune watched his friend slowly breakdown from the weight of the guilt she harbored. Her knees gave out and she would have dropped to the ground if not for jaune catching her.

He remained quite and held her close so Blake could use his shoulder to cry on and so he could give her comfort. Jaune didn't know how long they held each other but apparently it was long enough for Blake to cry herself to sleep. These things took their toll on people in different ways and unlike what happened with cinder, Blake seemed more fragile and in need of him.

Jaune brushed her hair away from her face before lifting her off the floor. Blake being as tired as she was didn't wake up even when jaune lifted her up in a bridal carry and moved her to his bed. He guessed sleeping on the floor would have to do but before he could go through with it he noticed Blake's fingers had a tight grip on his shirt almost like she was desperate to not let go.

Jaune knew he could have just slipped out of his shirt but what if not having him around was what brought back the nightmares? Could he be so thoughtless as to abandon his friend and partner in her time of need? Jaune didn't even need to think about it before slipping into the bed next to Blake. Sensing a closer heat source had Blake snuggling closer to his chest.

Hearing her steady breathing made jaune sleepy but he had resolved himself to stay by her side and watch over her so she could sleep. The night that day was long but after everything that had happened to them, to her, jaune did as he swore and made sure Blake had the rest she deserved.

**This is most definitely my longest chapter but I felt I couldn't split this. On a side note I finally got a switch! I'd been waiting so long to get me that fire emblem three houses game. Dreams really do come true!**


	55. Chapter 55: The day after

**Definitely would have had this up sooner but my internet got cut off and my phone lost it's service. Got hit with that double whammy and now I gotta go to McDonald's to up load. Feel like I got that Qrow semblance going on.**

Warmth and a sense of safety Blake hadn't known since her first few years with Adam is what she felt when she began to regain consciousness. Her ears twitched in reaction to the warm breath that felt almost soothing against her cat like features. These little things only made her want to stay asleep and enjoy this moment even longer but the cherry on top were the strong arms that held her tight as if promising to never let her go.

Strong arms?

Memories of the night before came like a tidal wave and she remembered going to jaunes room to demand answers only to break down after receiving them. She remembered jaune embracing her so she wouldn't hurt herself when her knees gave way under her despair. All those moments were trivial compared to when he let her cry into his shoulder and held her for so long that she finally felt safe enough to fall asleep.

Blake's eyes opened enough so she could see what was happening and where she was. Her eye's took in the site of jaunes chest as her head rested against it and she could feel each time his heart beated. Blake noticed her fingers held the cloth of his shirt tightly so she loosened her grip to free him before looking up at his face.

The first thing she noticed was the dark rings under jaunes eyes which indicated he hadn't gotten as much sleep as she had. Blake lowered her head and quietly listened to jaunes heartbeat as she contemplated on what she should do to get out of this situation. After quietly thinking about it for a while Blake's focus began to faulter when she continued to listen to jaunes rhythmic breathing.

She was still tired and even though sleeping with jaune was embarrassing she had already done it before so who would complain if she continued where she left off? Blake's eyes began to sag and before long she was out and off to dream land from once she came. How long she slept after that was anyone's guess but apparently it was long enough that jaune had awoken and with more skill than she realized he had gotten away without her noticing.

Blake rolled over the sheets searching for any source of heat that she could grab on to but to no avail. After a few minutes of searching she finally got fed up with not being able to grasp any warmth and sat up in bed. Her hair was a mess but she felt well rested which meant she'd been asleep longer than she thought.

Blake felt her stomach grumble and figured maybe it was time to get up and get some food. Before she could pull the sheets away there was a knock on the door before jaune poked his head in "oh your awake, good". The door opened and jaune brought in a tray of food that had Blake involuntarily salivating just from the smell.

She hadn't really eaten yesterday due to the loss of appetite from the job they had and remembering it now felt like it was going to do the same. Jaune placed the tray in front of the cat faunus before taking a seat on the bed. Blake stared at the carefully prepared meal of fish, soup and rice for several seconds before turning away.

She wasn't in the mood and thinking of what she did last night only made it worse. Jaune watched his friend as she turned away from a fish dish she probably would have beaten him up for at any other time. He had expected something like this to happen but even still, seeing her torment herself with the memories of what happened would ruin her if she let it.

Jaune reached over and cut a piece of the fishes meat before hold it up to his friend "Blake you need to eat something". She shook her head "thanks jaune but I don't feel hungry right now". Jaune didn't move from his spot nor did he put the food on the fork down "you barely ate anything last night and you've been asleep for more than nine hours so don't tell me your not hungry".

His persistence only made Blake angry so she retaliated by smacking the fork out of his hand with her own "I told you I'm not hungry" she said angrily. It took her a second to realize what she had done and the anger within turned to regret "I'm sorry". Jaune picked up the tray and placed it on a nearby dresser before returning to his spot on the bed.

There was a long silence between them and with each passing second Blake's hands gripped the sheets tighter. Jaune placed his hands on his lap and let out a small sigh "I know what your going through you know" he said after a moment. Blake gritted her teeth in anger "how could you know what I'm going through when you kill people without so much as batting an eye?! How you can sleep peacefully after everything you do like their lives don't matter" she said angrily.

Angry tears formed in her eyes as each word spoken was one born of anger, grief and regret. "I wasn't always like this you know, a killer I mean" jaunes face softened as he spoke. Blake looked to the blonde as he continued "my training growing up was to teach me to do what was necessary to survive even if it meant others weren't allowed to".

"Who would teach a child to be like that" Blake asked.

Jaune was silent for a second as he wondered if it was alright to be telling her anything from his true past. His smile vanished when he reached a decision "Alec Mercer my master".

He had never really spoke of the cruel training he had been through or the sort of things he had to do to reach the level he was at so finding someone he could share that with was nice. "I told you I wasn't always like this and that was the truth, much like every ordinary child I grew up happy and really didn't want anything to do with violence but reasons changed that for me. Their was someone I wanted to protect but in order to do that I needed to be strong and with strength there must be sacrifices".

Jaune closed his eyes "one of those sacrifices was the normal frame of mind that most people have about life. Fighting is all well and good but how do stop a man or woman who would rather kill someone you care about just to go free"?

The question always had a simple answer like bind them or knocking them out but for his situation it was completely different.

/

**11 years ago**

Jaune waited in a open field that Alec took him to for a new bit of training that his master said was important. It had been 15 minutes since his master told him to wait there so he could set up what was needed. Jaune kicked a small rock with his foot out of sheer boredom just before the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching.

Alec walked into the clearing with 2 sacks in his possession each a different size to the other. The gray haired man dropped the first sack on the floor "jaune do me a favor and open that up but don't untie the person inside". Jaune felt a little nervous but did as he was told and opened the sack to see a man probably in his late teens who was a little gangly for his age with brown hair.

The teens muffled cries had jaune taking a step back before turning to his master. Alec had opened the second sack and dumped out the person within revealing vernal tied up with a gag in her mouth. Jaune didn't know what was going on and from the look of things he probably wasn't going to like it much.

Vernal struggled to get her bindings off when Alec returned to jaune and the brown haired man. Alec pulled out a knife and used it to cut the man's binding "Don't run or you'll die before you leave the clearing, understand" he said as he cut the last piece of rope tied around the man's legs. The man complied obviously knowing that Alec was not playing games with him.

Alec twirled the knife between his fingers before tossing it into the ground in front of him "all right listen up I'm sure your wondering why I brought you both here so I'll explain. I want something just like the two of you and I'm willing to let people die to get what I want. Today I'm going to get what I want and if I don't she dies" he said before pointing to the tied up vernal.

"You each have an objective to fulfill" Alec turned and pointed to the brown haired man "yours is to kill the girl for your freedom". Alec turned to jaune "and yours is to kill this man to ensure that vernal lives a longer life after today". With his explanation out of the way Alec left the two to begin their fight.

Nobody moved a muscle until Alec shouted from a distance to begin the survival test. Jaune and the brown haired man both exchanged looks with one another before rushing off to the only weapon in their vicinity. The knife that Alec left behind was picked up by the brown haired man since he had a longer reached and was taller than jaune.

While close to the ground the brown haired man took a handful of dirt with his free hand and tossed it at jaunes face hoping to blind him. The blonde had already known about these types of cheap moves so he closed his eyes and held his breath before the dust hit his face. Jaune pushed passed the feeling of wanting to wipe his face and threw a punch forward with all his weight behind it.

The brown haired man didn't have time to block when jaunes fist collided with his jaw. Blood fell from the busted lip that the brown haired man received thanks to jaunes punch. Jaune quickly wiped his face and noticed that the downed man he was fighting was bleeding "no aura"?!

Alec smiled at the confused expression jaune had. The boy could never understand the difference between people with aura and those without because he'd already had his unlocked at a young age. This little test had many little learning experiences littered through it that would make jaune stronger if he could actually remember them.

The brown haired man took jaunes confusion as a chance to make a run for the goal. He rolled to his feet and tried to run but jaune move first to try and leg sweep him only to miss when the man jumped over his leg and continued on. Jaune cursed in anger and reached for a stone on the ground, he took aim for a split second before throwing the stone.

Vernals eye's widened in fear as the man was not even a few inches from her. Before the man could even bend down to stab the small girl a rock smashed against the back of the man's head throwing him off balance. Vernal saw her chance and rolled towards the man using her body to trip the brown haired man to the ground.

The brown haired man tried to push himself up but before he could jaune dropped down on his back knee first. The man cried out in pain but jaune didn't care not after the man had nearly gotten his hands on his friend. Jaune used his strength to hold the man down as he began to pummel the back of his head with his fist.

The man thrashed on the ground until he got his chance to turn around. There was a flash of silver before jaune felt a pain in his neck, luckily he had been using his aura or the man could have killed him. The man swung the knife again but this time jaune forced his aura into his hand and caught the knife by its blade.

Jaune winced from the pain but held it strongly when the man's other hand came up and tried to strike him. The blonde caught the man's hand before it could strike his face. They both struggled to overpower each other before jaune headbutted the man with enough force to break his nose. The man's hands flew to his face and the knife he had was dropped within reach of jaune.

When the man realized he dropped his weapon he reached for it only to find that jaune had already taken hold of it. The thought that this man was willing to kill someone precious to him played in jaunes mind and the adrenaline from the situation carried him forward. The knife came up and with all of jaunes strength he brought it down on his foe.

The man used his forearm to block jaunes stopping the knife from striking it's intended target. Jaune leaned on his arm and tried to push the knife down but the man wouldn't give up. With his free hand the man punched jaune in the face hoping to get him to back off but the blonde was equally determined.

They continue to struggle on the floor until jaunes hand slipped from the one holding the knife and smashed the man's broken nose. The man scream and jaune had his chance, he pushed with all his strength and the blade sunk into the man's chest. The man scream in more pain but was still far from dead so jaune pulled the knife out and repeatedly stabbed him.

There was resistance at first but with each successful stabbed it became less and less. Jaune didn't know how many times he had stabbed the man but by the time he was done there was barley any skin holding the man's chest together.

Jaune stared at the gaping wound on the man's chest for a long moment before standing up. He looked at the blood soaked knife in his hand and decided he still needed it.

Vernal laid on the ground and watched jaune walk over to her with the knife still in his hand. This was the second time he saved her but more than that this was the first time he took another's life because hers was more precious. She didn't know what to think but as soon as he cut her ropes and greeted her with a warm smile she threw her arms around him and held him tightly.

Jaune rubbed vernals back to soothe her while she thanked him, completely forgetting that his hands was still slick with blood. The moment didn't last long when Alec showed up to congratulate him and his first kill. Jaune glared at the man with all the hate a six year old could muster but apparently it didn't even faze his master.

All jaune knew was that this was something he could never forgive his master for.

/

**Present Day**

As jaune finished his story he didn't notice the wide eyed look his faunus friend was giving him. Jaune made sure to change some of the things from his story around especially since vernal was apparently here in the city for some reason.

Blake didn't know what to say, what could she say to someone who's lived with this for most of their life? Before she truly realized what she was doing she leaned her shoulder against jaunes back as a way to comfort him. A small smile came to his face "it's alright Blake I've learned to deal with it".

Even still she didn't move from her spot and continued to lean against him. There was a bang on the door that broke their silence "hey jaune you gonna make breakfast for us or what" junior called from the other side of the door. Jaune chuckled before standing up "make sure you eat your food, don't need a partner who can't guard my back because she's hungry" he said as he walked to the door.

He came to a stop and looked back when Blake called out to him. She seemed a little nervous but push on anyway "how did you get through it, the guilt I mean"? Jaune thought about it for a long second before answering "you share it with someone you know so your not carrying the burden all alone"

Blake's eyes fell to the sheets "there's no one I can share this with". Jaune raised a brow "if that's so then you can share it with me since I already know all about it". Blake looked up to see jaune give her a warm smile before he left out the door.

**Just a follow up to the last chapter with a small flash back at the type of training jaune was subjected to.**


	56. Chapter 56:return

**so tired!**

The morning went by quickly after jaune went to work putting his master chief skills to the test in preparing breakfast for the hungry souls at juniors bar. The blonde leaned back and yelled out loudly so everyone could hear "I need a raise"! In the front of the bar junior rolled his eyes as the malachite twins hummed their agreement with their favorite blonde.

Blake had worked up the strength to force feed herself the food jaune had made for her and although her mind rejected it her stomach thanked her for the delicious meal. Once she was finished she put everything back on the tray and returned it to the kitchen so jaune wouldn't have to come back for it. Miltia watched Blake with a smirk on her face one that the cat faunus noticed and didn't like.

"What"?

"Nothing, just saw something really interesting last night" miltia said knowingly. Melanie grew interested enough to join the conversation "do tell sister".

Miltia smirked "Well last night I saw our dear kitten go into jaunes room".

"It wasn't like that" Blake argued "he was just helping me with stuff, important stuff". The slight tinge of red colored Blake cheeks making her an easier target then before. "Stuff huh? It must have been really important since you stayed the rest of the night in there" miltia said with a large smile. Melanie put a hand over her mouth in shock "how scandalous, Blake I never knew you had it in you".

Blake knew they were just trying to get under her skin but that still didn't stop the red that crept up her neck. Miltia nudged her sister with her elbow "Blake's rather lucky though to get someone who'd even cook breakfast and serve her in bed, talk about romantic". Jaune walked through the door and saw Blake glaring daggers at the red twin for something she probably said.

"Blake-" his words snapped her out of her murderous thoughts "let's go we're already late for classes". She nodded before heading back to her room to collect her weapon. On the way back to Beacon the two remained silent, Blake was now feeling embarrassed after thinking back on miltia's words.

This was so stupid, she'd done way more embarrassing things in life like sex with Adam or letting yang read one of her books. How could just sleeping next to a friend be any more embarrassing then that? Blake turned to the man in question and saw the blonde with his eyes closed obviously still tired from staying up last night. She wanted to ask why he stood up so late but a part of her already knew the answer to that.

Thinking about last night brought back the memories of this morning and the strong arms she woke up in. Blake's face turned red before she shook her head to clear the dangerous thoughts that were beginning to fill her head. She took a deep breath and mentally pushed the events of yesterday into a metal safe and sealed it forever.

When the bullhead landed the two ran through the school grounds to get to their next class. Jaune opened the door to the classroom they arrived at and hoped they wouldn't interrupt the lecture but when they entered the room and had all eye's on them he knew he did. Professor Oobleck waited for the two to find their seats before zipping around the room continuing his lecture from where he left off.

Jaune looked around and noticed his team wasn't present also equally suspicious was that Blake's team also wasn't present. The classroom door opened and Glynda goodwitch entered with a stern expression on her face. There was something radiating off the deputy headmistress that jaune noticed as pure anger.

The two teachers in the room quietly conversed before oobleck nodded in his and Blake's direction. A small sense of dread crept into mind as he watched the deputy headmaster walk his way. Glynda came to a stop in front of his desk and looked between him and Blake "mister Arc, miss belladonna I'm going to need you to follow me to the headmasters office...now".

Jaune wasn't going to argue so he quickly got to his feet and followed after goodwitch along with Blake. The walk to the central tower was awkward since any questions he posed to miss goodwitch went unanswered and ignored. They got into the elevator and headed straight to the top where the headmaster dwelled.

As soon as the door opened miss goodwitch moved to Ozpins side to await any orders he had for her. In the room the two teams jaune noticed that weren't in class stood next to each other with shame practically written on their faces. Ozpin sat behind his desk with a steaming mug in his hand "welcome mister Arc, miss belladonna".

Jaune nodded back to the headmasters before taking a spot next to his team "we're in trouble aren't we"? Ozpin chuckled "not you but the rest of your team" he corrected. Jaune opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it and began to look around until his attention was drawn over to the balcony where a black crow stood on the railing.

Ozpin followed his line of site and looked to the balcony to see the black bird watching them without so much as moving a muscle. To say it was odd would be a understatement but there it was. Jaune leaned to the side and watched as the birds head followed him, it's eye's unblinking. "Excuse me for a moment headmaster" jaune bypassed Ozpin to reach the balcony where the crow stood and shooed the bird away.

The crow cawed angrily before hopping off the railing to let gravity pull it down before spreading it's wings and flew away. Once the area was bird free jaune was about to go back inside but froze when the black crow returned to seek vengeance.

Ruby didn't see what the problem was in having a crow look at them but apparently it was enough to bother jaune to the point that he got rid of it. Her eye's widened as the crow returned with a angry caw and started attacking the blonde from behind. The two teams and their teachers watch as jaune tried to fend off his winged foe with little success until jaune got so fed up with the bird that he actually attacked in ernest.

The black crow cawed in surprise when jaune swatted it out of the air with a open hand palm strike that sent the winged beast over the edge. Ruby gasp "birdie no". There was a moment of silence with jaune waiting to see if the bird would return but as a minute passed he gave nod and returned to the inside of Ozpins office.

The headmaster cleared his throat and turned away from his balcony "Well now that distractions are out of the way we can decide on a suitable punishment for destroying your dorm rooms". Jaune let out a sigh as he covered his face with his palm "you guys destroyed our dorms"? There was so much disappointment in his voice that yang and the rest couldn't even muster up a response so they stared at the floor in shame.

"I'm afraid so" Ozpin answered since none of the students seemed willing to. "From the story I gathered so far it seems miss xiao long and miss schnee got into a altercation. Ruby happened to overhear the commotion and involved herself in your teams infighting. As for the rest it was more or less the fact they got dragged into the scuffle mostly to protect their partners".

Jaune could see that especially if ruby joined in then Nora would feel duty bound to help her partner. "I think I get the idea of what happened and as far as punishment goes I think they should help fix what they broke" jaune said while eyeing the two teams. Yang and weiss complained that it was each other's fault but Ozpin smiled at the suggestion "that sounds acceptable if miss belladonna agrees with your suggestion".

Blake nodded without so much as thinking about it "their all yours" she said to the dismay of her teammates. Ozpin made sure to write their punishment down so when the workers arrived to fix the damaged rooms he could call on his students to help. Once he had finished writing down the reminder he dismissed the kids so he could hear the report he asked for earlier.

As if on cue with the students departure the crow that attack jaune flew into the room and transformed the moment it reached the center of the office. Qrow's feet touched the floor and he took a moment to massage his neck before turning to Ozpin. He didn't know if he should punch the crap out of oz or not for letting the kid knock him off the tower but then again it wasn't like the blonde knew it was him.

Ozpin smiled and if Qrow didn't know better it was like the old man had read his thoughts with how accurate he spoke. "For what it's worth your daughter looked ready to give jaune a talking to for what he did to that poor bird" Ozpin said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah those two have been like that for a while, first he'll do something wrong and then she'll set him straight" Qrow said nonchalantly.

Ozpin nodded at his words "it kinda reminds me of you and summer if I remember correctly". Qrow nodded with a smile for a second before it changed into a frown "I know what your planning and like I said before leave ruby out of it". The tone in his voice became threatening and Glynda's hand tightened on the horse crop at her side.

Ozpin didn't even blink as he sat back in his chair "I told you that I would not involve miss rose, you have my word on that". Glynda didn't quite know what was going on but ever since the day Nicolas passed their group seemed to have a great deal of distrust in Ozpins leadership. Qrow huffed before pulling out his hip flask to take a swig "but you'd involve every other girl in his life so long as you got what you wanted".

Although Glynda didn't like it she knew the importance of keeping the Arc bloodline alive and with Saphron revealing her sexuality their only hope was jaune. It was wrong to think like that but the need out weighed the guilt especially in their fight against Salem.

The silence between them all went on for a few seconds before Qrow took another drink. He slipped his flask into it's holder on his waist before pulling something out from behind his back. Qrow slid the object across the desk to Ozpin "I thought it a long shot but with my luck I can't tell if this is a good thing we know or a bad thing that now we know there's more going on with the sudden rise of faunus within the city".

Ozpin flipped the object over to see the red markings decorating the white Grimm mask "better we know but more importantly did you find who killed those people"? Qrow shook his head "not even a trace of evidence to be found but then again the cops are keeping this quiet for some reason".

Ozpin raised a brow "a cover up no doubt".

Qrow nodded "but what their covering up is the real question".

**Well after nearly a whole week of nothing this chapter finally got out. Gotta say I miss my internet and my phone. Life just isn't the same without them but luckily I'll have them on by the end of the week.**


	57. Chapter 57: unexpected meeting

**I decided to follow up on my plan to write short chapters for Salems knight: the beginning. Gotta say I miss mama Salem and the way she was with jaune when he was growing up. Luckily I'll be able to delve into the moments between them with those short chapters and fill up some of the holes in this story. Oh before I forget, TalonlbnLaAhad I would like to answer your question but if I did I'd be ruining a big character moment that I have planned for the future so I'm sorry but your gonna have to wait for those answers.**

**Now that all that's out of the way let's get into the main story.**

Days like this were the most peaceful in his opinion, the new comic of X-ray and vav and lounging on the dorms floor. Nearly three weeks after the talk with Ozpin the dorms had been fixed thanks to the two teams working together. Throughout those weeks jaune and Blake had went on two more missions and eliminated three new spots the fang had been congregating at.

The jobs were easy enough and truth be told jaune had been expecting some sort of trap to happen once the fang caught wind of their objective. He wasn't sure if feeling a sense of disappointed was right but there it was. All it took was a stronger fighter to turn the tables on the fang and worse was that there wasn't even an effort to stop him...or at least not a serious effort.

Jaune couldn't help but feel sorry for all those faunus he killed especially since the higher ups either weren't doing anything or were afraid to do something to protect them. That shouldn't have been the case since he knew that Adam was here and that beast wouldn't run from a fight. Some part of him just wished to announce to the world that it was he who had been slaying the fang just to force the bull faunus out of hiding so he could end their little rivalry but that would bring up to much trouble on his end.

Jaune flipped the page and continued to read until his friendly fellow nerd sprawled out on his back with hers. "I'm bored" ruby drawled. Jaune chuckled lightly when ruby crawled her way up his back and rested her chin on his right shoulder "entertainment me" she whispered.

He knew ruby too well to disregard her quest for entertainment and luckily he had just the idea for this situation. It happened too quickly for ruby to react to and the next thing she knew jaune was on top leaning over her. Ruby finally understood what it felt like to be prey to a predator and just like the law of survival of the fittest, she had lost.

She tried with all her might to get away but jaune wasn't about to let her go and when she tried to fight him off she came to realize he was just to strong.

Yang, weiss and Nora were returning to their dorm to get their leader because weiss wanted to head to the docks to scope out the transfer students that were arriving. The door opened and the three girls witnessed ruby with tears in her eyes as jaune tickled her side's. The small girl in red had been laughing for a while and when jaune stopped to look at his teammates she used her semblance to get away.

Everyone's attention turned to the door that led to the bathroom and watched as it slammed shut. After a few minutes of silence ruby opened the door and walked back into the room "I almost lost it there for a minute". Weiss's face scrunched in disgust "ruby too much info" she chastised.

Jaune rolled over and laid on his back before lifting up his comic once more. Yang looked from ruby to jaune "we weren't interrupting anything were we"? Jaune couldn't help but notice the fake smile yang wore and the scarlet red eyes that seemed to watch his every move.

A smile spread across jaunes face "I was just teaching ruby what happens when you make a wish without thinking of the consequences". Nora knew the moment she said what she wanted yang would be very very angry at her so she did it anyways. "It looks like you gave her some hands on experience" she said with a wide smile even when yang gave her a death glare.

Ruby may have been young but even she had understood what Nora meant. Jaune sat up so he could face his friends "Yeah well ruby's-" jaune turned to ruby in time for blue eye's to meet silver. He didn't have to think about it because he already knew only one word that truly described ruby. Jaune smiled softly as he finished his sentence "-special".

Ruby's eyes widen before they shot down to her feet as she fidgeted in place. It was barley visible but there was a small smile that graced her face when jaune called her special. "Jaune quit joking around already" weiss interrupted "we're trying to go to the docks to see the new transfer students coming for the vytal festival". Jaune sighed as he stood up "orders received vice captain".

Once jaune was ready the two nerds followed the heiress out of the dorms to bullheads landing pad. "Why is ruby coming with us" weiss asked clearly unsure as to why someone from another team was joining them. Jaune put his hand on top of ruby's head "I don't see anything wrong with hanging out with a friend in the city, do you"?

Weiss wanted to keep their little reconnaissance mission within the team but knew jaune wasn't planning to change his mind about bringing ruby. The heiress sighed in frustration "fine, whatever let's just go already". The team plus one walked up the ramp and entered the first bullhead they could find that was free to go to vale.

The girl's began chatting amongst themselves when jaunes scroll let out a ping. Jaune took his time reading through the message he just received before letting out a sigh "Weiss there's gonna be a change of plans". The heiress looked like she wanted to strangle him "what could be more important than being with your team to scope out our competition"?

He couldn't really say it was because of work since earlier he and Blake announced they had the day off. "It's a secret" he finally said after thinking about it for a good moment. Weiss obviously wasn't very happy with his answer and it showed on her face.

Jaune pushed his hand through his hair "I'm sorry but I promise I'll make this up to you guys". Weiss looked to their team to see if any objected to letting their team leader run off on his own. Yang crossed her arms and smiled "just let him go, besides I could always use more favors without a debt".

When no one else seemed to mind letting him go weiss had no choice but to give in "fine but I'm definitely going to make sure you work hard for ditching us" she said. The bullhead landed and the five hunters in training disembarked from their ride and grouped up for a few parting words. "We'll meet back at the dorms later tonight and I'll fill you in on any information we gather" said the heiress as jaune turned to leave.

"I'm already looking forward to it vice captain" jaune said as he gave her a two finger salute "later" he yelled as he took off. Yang put one hand on her hip and sighed as she watched her team leader and partner shrink into the distance. "That guy I swear, it's like he's become a hundred times more busy since we started at Beacon" yang complained.

Ruby agreed whole heartedly because before today jaune would only spend time with her or any of their friends during school hours. Weiss shrugged "there's nothing we can do about it since it's his choice, besides we got things to do of our own". The girls agreed with weiss and left to go see the new transfer that would be arriving.

/

**Elsewhere**

Jaune came to a stop at the one place he considered home in all of vale...juniors bar. As strange as that sounds he couldn't help but feel fond of this place since it provided a place for him to work and learn about the underworld he was living in. Jaune decided it was best to not delay the inevitable and pushed forward into the bar.

During the day juniors bar operated as more of a restaurant then a club except without the quality food. Jaune quickly entered through the front door and made his way to the bar where junior was normally standing at. "I'm here" jaune announced as he took a seat at the bar "so, you said this was urgent so what am I dealing with"?

Junior slid a glass cup over with a small slip of paper sticking out from underneath. Jaune placed his hand on the cup but didn't lift it up "trouble found its way here?

Junior nodded "second floor, VIP area".

Jaune let out a sigh before quickly taking the slip of paper out from under the cup while standing back up. The movement was done so quickly that you wouldn't have noticed anything unless you were sitting next to the person. Jaune slipped the paper into his pocket before drinking the contents of the glass cup "wish me luck".

Junior gave a slight nodded before taking the glass cup jaune finished off. The blonde rushed up the stairs and into the VIP lounge that was located just behind the Dj's booth. It was here that he came face to with a person he hadn't seen in a while and who he promised to meet up with when he had free time...vernal.

If it was just vernal alone he wouldn't have felt so bothered but the fact Roman and neo were there as well made him nervous. The door clicked shut before jaune found his way to a empty seat at the table they all shared. Jaune linked his fingers before eyeing vernal "there better be a damn good reason why I'm here sitting with vales most wanted".

Vernal lifted her hands up in a mock surrender "hey don't look at me I'm not the one who called this meeting". The confusion showed on jaunes face but before anyone could answer the door opened once more and several others entered the room. Emerald, cinder and some grey haired guy came in next followed by Ren and a bull faunus jaune knew all to well.

When Adam and jaune locked eye's with one another they both switched to battle mode. Cinder didn't really understand what happened all of a sudden but jaune had flew out of his chair and shot out his left hand to stop Adam from drawing out his sword before striking with his right fist. When Adam realized he'd been stopped he let go of his sheath and used his left hand to stop jaunes punch.

Despite not being the closest of allies mercury and emerald moved to defend Adam but we're blocked by neo and vernal. "That's enough" cinder yelled angrily. Jaune felt something hook around his hoodie and with great force pulled him away from the terrorist before cinder moved in to stop him.

Jaune unhooked the end of Romans cane before standing back up "cinder explain NOW". Cinder turned away from Adam and looked to the blonde in front of her "I don't take orders from you jaune, you'd do well to remember that". "Fine I'll put this another way" jaune pulled out his scroll and pulled up the headmaster contact "talk now"!

Cinder wasn't sure if jaune was bluffing or not but she wasn't about to push her luck "Adam works for our mistress, he's one of us now". Jaune couldn't believe his ears but decided to put his scroll away to hear the full story. Adam on the other hand couldn't understand "he works for her as well"?! Cinder nodded "he's working undercover on our behalf".

Jaune huffed angrily "don't get your facts twisted cinder I don't work for you either". Emerald glared his way but jaune ignored cinders pet and focused on the obvious leader of this band of villains. Time had passed since he last saw his three companions but just how much had changed throughout the years was the real question.

Tensions were high but eventually cinder and vernal managed to get everyone to calm down enough to sit at the same table. Jaune never took his eyes off Adam and the same was in reverse but even so cinder explained how Adam came to join their team. Jaune had never really had a problem with Salems plans for the future but something was still off "I get the gist of why Adams here but why am I here as well"?

Cinder looked like she was trying to understand the hardest problem in the world when she spoke "I need your help".

"With"?

Cinder looked to Adam and the bull faunus reached into his jacket and pulled out something very familiar. The familiar envelope touched the table and was slid over to the blonde so he could inspect it. Jaune opened it and looked at the contents within revealing the photos of all the dead shop owners who had died over the last few months thanks to the fang.

Jaune placed the envelope on the table and looked back to cinder "I don't see how I can help you with people that are already dead". Cinder tapped her nails against the table in irritation "the people who gave this to us have been interfering in our plan's for this city and I need you to help stop them". If only she knew who she was asking he thought "sorry but your asking the wrong guy for this" he said sliding the envelope back to Adam.

"You don't get to refuse since this is a order from master Alec" cinder said angrily. Jaune chuckled "I serve Salem and although I respect master for all he's done for me I won't be helping you with this. Whatever your doing in this city is doing more harm then good when you put faunus like him in positions of power" he said as he motioned to the bull faunus.

Adam growled in anger "what I'm doing is giving back to the people who need it the most, my people". Jaune slammed his fist on the table "no what your doing is forcibly taking what isn't yours and forcing your bullshit on humankind". Adam went to stand up but cinder forced him back down before turning to jaune "look we made a deal with the fang to help the faunus gain a stronger standing in this kingdom for their full support in our mission".

"What you did was sign up a bunch of terrorist to do what they do best, terrorize normal people just trying to live their lives" jaune returned. The rest in the room watched the debate go on for several minutes before Adam once again stood up "this is a waste of time, we should just deal with this ourselves". For once jaune couldn't agree more with the faunus but cinder wasn't having it "if we could we'd have done it already but instead we're getting warehouse full of bodies and nothing to show for it".

There was a lot that jaune took notice of but the fact cinder was being so open about it while never truly telling him what their plan was only meant one thing, she didn't trust him. He already kinda figured that out since Nora and Ren always danced around the issue whenever he asked but to see it here amongst the team he was originally part of only reaffirmed his suspicions. Eventually jaune got tired of the whole thing and cut cinder off "look I'll be straight with you cin I'm not going to help you cause I got my own things to do".

The room went quite as cinder stood up but instead of yelling she took a deep breath "fine I guess I'll deal with this problem on my own". With those final words cinder left the room and was quickly followed by mostly everyone else except vernal. Jaune turned to the brunette with a raised brow "your not planning to convince me to help you guys right"?

The brunette smiled "naw but you owe me some drinks and I think now is as good a time as any to collect". Jaune chuckled lightly "yeah I guess your right".

**Done.**


	58. Chapter 58: the day off

**Welp I'm back and delivering another chapter to all the patient people still sticking around. Honestly I really appreciate you all for reading my story and for the little reviews you leave for me. If I'm being honest I've actually read all 106 of the reviews left for me even the private messages so thank you.**

Silence reigned as cinder and her entourage returned to their hideout. The door to the living quarters clicked shut and Roman was the first to speak "so everything's going according to plan I'd say". Cinder smiled viciously, her plan was coming together and soon enough she would have the proof she needed to label jaune a traitor to their cause.

Cinder turned to Adam "I trust you'll keep your cool when your handling the mission in three days"? Adam huffed "assuming your hunch is correct, I'll do what I need to". That was about what she expected "good, then I'm looking forward to a good result when you return". The raven haired woman departed with her followers leaving Roman, adam, neo and Ren alone in the room.

Ren looked from side to side "has anyone seen where vernal wondered off to"? Roman shrugged his shoulders as he pulled a cigar from his pocket "beats me kid you know how she does her own thing when she wants to". The thief put the cigar in his mouth before reaching into his pocket for his lighter only to find a whole lot of nothing.

Roman began to frantically search through every pocket on his person before cursing to the heavens in anger.

/

**Juniors bar/ VIP lounge**

Vernal tossed Romans lighter into the air before catching it and placing it back on the table. "I guess even a master thief has there bad days" jaune said before taking another shot. Vernal chuckled "yeah well I guess he's been having a poor few months since this is like the thousandth lighter I jacked from him".

After a few hours jaune picked up his glass of water and downed the rest cause obviously he wanted to balance out the alcohol running through his system. Vernal on the other hand had not taken that kind of consideration and was leaning heavily against his side for support. "Alright I think you had enough of this" jaune said as he moved the (juniors special) drink away from his drunk friend.

Vernal took jaunes action as a sort of challenge and tried to reach for the drink but was inevitably denied as jaune continued to move it out of her reach. The brunette eventually got angry enough that she tried to swing at jaune for his games but the blonde caught her hand.

"Ok time to rest" jaune said as he pulled vernal off her seat and over his shoulder into a firemen's carry. Vernal groaned and tried to struggle for freedom but with all the moving around she began to feel ill and eventually slumped to stop the world from spinning. "Jaune I don't feel so good" she grumbled from his back as jaune opened the door to the lounge.

Jaune chuckled and decided a little revenge was in order so he quickly readjusted the brunette with a little bounce that caused her to groan even more. The walk to the backroom where he usually spent the night was short and after using a carefully unique maneuver to get vernal through the door without banging her head against the wall was done he placed her in bed. "I'm not tired" vernal complained but that didn't stop jaune from pulling the covers over her.

Once she was properly tucked in jaune took a seat on the edge of the bed. There was a grumble from under the covers that brought a smile to the blondes face "this takes me back to the days when you first came to Salems castle".

Vernal remembered those days as well because cinder always teased her about being afraid of the dark. It wasn't really her fault that she woke up one day with no memories and was stuck in a castle surrounded by giant monsters. Those days were nightmarish and she didn't believe anyone would care about her situation, that was until jaune took notice.

Vernal was older now so she didn't need anyone to keep her safe at night anymore but even still. Her hand came out from under the covers and took hold of jaunes. The blonde looked a little surprised at first before his features softened and his fingers laced together with hers.

Vernal looked at their hands for a long moment "jaune I've missed you" she whispered gently. Drunk people often have a easier time laying out their feelings then sober people is what he remembered. That being the case he knew she really meant it and would have responded if the subtle sound of snoring hadn't caught his attention.

"Always so quick to fall asleep" he whispered before leaning over the bed and gently kissed her forehead. She was definitely older than him but at times she would act so much younger that he couldn't help but worry about her. "I've missed you too" he whispered near her ear before leaving the bedroom.

The door clicked shut before jaune fished out the slip of paper junior had given him earlier that day. On the paper were only a few words that he quickly read off "dust, docks and Roman at night in three days". The slip of paper was crumpled up and tossed away when jaune returned to junior at the front bar.

"So, there's someone sleeping in my room in the back and I'm hoping you'll treat her as one of my special guest for the day". Junior nodded to the blonde "don't worry I'll take care of things here, you on the other hand need to inform the cat about the next job". Jaune nodded "any words you want me to relay to our traitorous thief"?

Junior had a small smile as he spoke "just tell him...it's just business".

Jaune couldn't help but roll his eyes at the obviously cliche line a movie villain would use "gotcha boss". The blonde turn and left juniors establishment to return to Beacon where he was sure his fellow teammates and friends were going to be. The halls of Beacon were bustling more than usual and that probably had something to do with the new student standing in his way.

"Hey man there's enough space here for you to just pass me without starten nothin" the blonde haired monkey faunus tried to explain. The hulking mass of moron that stood before him looked to his teammates "you hear that guys, he said there's enough space for us here". The giant mass of ass jabbed his finger into the monkey faunus's chest "trust me, there won't ever be enough space with animals like you roaming about".

Jaune came up beside Cardin winchester and took hold of the boys wrist before squeezing it tightly

"that's enough cardin"! Cardin looked to him before slapping his hand away "heh, should've known you'd stand up for these things since you've been fucking that cat". Not another word was said before the larger boy crashed into the wall hard enough to leave cracks.

The rest of Russel's team took a step back when jaune stood over their fallen teammate and grabbed his collar. Cardin opened his mouth to say something but couldn't speak on account of a fist colliding with his face. Jaune pulled his fist back and was ready to deliver another blow when the monkey faunus grabbed him in a full Nelson "easy there pal, we ain't trying to hurt him until the festival begins".

Jaune took a moment to calm himself down "I'm good" he said so the faunus could let him go. Cardin massaged his jaw but kept his eye's on the blondes when jaune stepped towards him "her names Blake and if you ever speak like that about her again I'll make sure you'll become unfit to ever serve as a huntsmen". The giant mass of ego turned his head and walked back to his team leaving the two blondes in the hallway.

Jaune turned to the monkey faunus once more "thanks for that...umm"?

"Sun wukong and you"?

"Jaune arc" jaune replied before shaking the faunus's hand. "So, Blake the name of your girlfriend or something" sun asked with genuine interest that brought a sigh from jaunes lips. "It's nothing like that she's just a good friend" jaune replied.

Sun chuckled "Hey I'm not judging but I'm guessing she's a cat faunus right"? Jaunes eye's narrowed on the monkey faunus "she is but how do you know that"? Sun smiled "well that cardin guy said something about a cat right so I kinda put two and two together".

That did make sense he had to admit "anyway I'm kinda in a hurry so sorry to cut and run but we'll talk later"? Sun didn't seem bothered "It's cool man I'll talk to you later but make sure you say hi when you see me cause you know I don't really know anyone here". Jaune gave a quick wave before rushing up to his dorm room where he heard a loud thud come from the room in front of his.

Truthfully he planned to ignore Blake's team shenanigans but before he could open his door the other door opened. Blake rushed out, saw him and decided he would make the best human shield possible. The cat faunus rushed behind him and before jaune could get a word in a loud bark came from Blake's room.

A dog flew through the air with the speed of a missile and struck with the force of a cannon ball. Jaunes aura around his arm crackled as he used one hand to catch the small bundle of fluff before diverting it upward into the air. The corgi unwound itself in the air before diving down on his target with it's teeth bare and ready.

Jaune lifted his forearm and let the corgi chomp down on him to avoid letting the little beast get away. He couldn't help but wince as the teeth of the corgi bit into his aura but while the dog tried to make a meal of his aura jaune grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him off. The little beast dangled helplessly in the air but continued to growl angrily in his direction.

"Good to see you too zwei".

_Growl!_

Jaune looked back to the cat faunus behind him "I know you don't like dogs but to actually run from one like this is pretty sad" he said as he jiggled zwei around. A second later and ruby came out of her room to collect her precious dog and to scold jaune for handling him roughly. The blonde sighed angrily "one day I'll expose that mutt for the vicious monster he really is".

All joking aside jaune stopped blake from leaving to impart some rather useful info. The blonde motioned for her to follow and the two made their way to the roof where they could speak in private. Blake closed the door behind them and turned to the blonde "is this another job"?

Jaune looked towards the shattered moon before turning to the cat faunus waiting for his answer. It caught him by surprise since he never noticed but her amber eye's shined in the moonlight and were pretty mesmerizing if he was being honest. Jaune closed his eyes and mentally pushed such foolish thoughts aside so he could focus on a more important things.

"Yeah it's another job but this one's going to be really important because we'll be dealing with Roman personally".

**Oh yeah things are gonna get real pretty soon...as soon as I can think up the next chapter. Speaking of chapters I got to introduce two new characters in this one, sun and zwei. I mean who doesn't love that tiny ball of fur and sun is like that bro you always wanted.**


	59. Chapter 59: learn something new

**SPOILER FOR RWBY VOLUME 8 EPISODE 1 DON'T READ THE TOP UNLESS YOU SAW THE EPISODE FYI.**

**Well I got to watch the first episode of RWBY volume 8 and I still can't believe what they did. They actually put yang as the leader of jaunes team like I feared. The confirmation was pretty much part of the whole first episode along with the opening.**

**I swear I face palmed myself like five times throughout the episode cause I mean what qualifications does yang have to even lead a team? The only thing she's done is beat up a lot of people and chase after Blake's tail because the fans pushed for it (not hating, just don't care for bumblebee or whatever their called). (Sigh) I will reserve my judgment until after I've seen the rest of this season mostly cause I'm hoping beyond hope that this changes.**

"We'll be dealing with Roman directly" Blake's confusion was evident and why wouldn't it be? They already knew of Romans involvement with the fang but because they had no idea where he was operating from they couldn't take him down. Obviously something must have changed or new information came in to shed some light on Romans business.

Jaune nodded "I can tell you already came to a conclusion of how our objective has changed compared to the other missions". Blake nodded cause she knew what this change meant, in capturing the thief they'd not only expose him as a traitor to vale but it would be a significant blow to the fang. A smile came to the cat faunus's face "what are we gonna do once we have him"?

It was a dumb question because unlike the government or police they didn't have a moral code to hold them back from getting the info they needed out of Roman. There was a small part of her that felt kinda guilty and worried that her sudden lack of care for someone's life wasn't bothering her that much. The fact she even cared at all was a small comfort because it meant she hadn't lost site of herself like Adam had.

The inner turmoil showed on her face so jaune place a hand on her shoulder to snap her out of her thoughts. "We'll do what we have to and hopefully it'll bring us one step closer to quelling the trouble growing in the kingdom" said jaune with a hopeful smile. That kinda hope was exactly what she needed and with any luck they would be able to put all this killing aside once they got rid of the fang.

Blake involuntarily rubbed her hands together, not because it was cold but because in the back of her mind they never felt clean enough no matter how much she washed them. Jaune noticed her hands and sighed deeply "Blake are you ok"? She looked down at her hands and forced herself to stop "sorry, it happens when I'm not paying attention".

The blonde nodded "have you been sleeping well? You know if you have any trouble I'd be more than willing to lay with you again". A tinge of pick colored her cheeks "you know our friends are going to make fun of us if they ever see us sleeping together".

Jaune crossed his arms and raised a brow "Blake I'm willing to put up with a little bit of teasing if it means I'm there for you when you need me". The cat faunus watched him for a long second before she turned away from him. Blake's hand grabbed her elbow and her ears flattened before she spoke "if your sure, then...tonight".

She didn't say anymore but jaune already understood "come to the commons room when your team goes to sleep and I'll be there". Blake nodded before quickly leaving through the door she came from. Jaune watched his friend take off back to the dorms and dare he say the way she asked him for help before she left was incredibly cute "Salem help me if she ever heard me say that out loud" he said with a small smile.

There was still plenty of time before he was supposed to return to the dorms so he pulled his scroll out and stared at his contacts. Jaune sighed before clicking on the unknown number listed at the bottom of his contacts. The screen changed black before a small red icon began to blink in the center of the screen.

After a few seconds a program started up that made tracking his scroll or tapping into his conversation nearly impossible. "Really gonna have to thank junior for this" he whispered to himself. Once the program was finished it began to connect to another scroll and after a while the receiver pick up.

"You sure took your sweet time calling me jaune"!

The blonde couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of himself "Yeah I know, sorry about that mom". A beeping sound echoed from his scroll letting him know she wanted to video chat. Jaune thought about telling her not to do video but knew if he even voiced his objection he'd get a earful from her.

Reluctantly jaune clicked on the video icon and allowed his mother to appear on his scroll. "Much better, honestly jaune you give me your number and barely ever answer when I try to call" Salem complained. Jaune couldn't help but feel even more guilty about the whole thing especially since he was so busy with work and school that he completely forgot about calling her back after he ignored so many of her calls.

"I'm sorry about that but I've just been swamped with work and school-".

"Too swamped to even take a few minutes to let me hear your voice and know that your ok"?

Jaune bit his lip and knew he shouldn't apologies again unless he really wanted her to be cross with him. Salem sighed deeply before her features softened and a smile bloomed across her face "I suppose it matters little in the end since you'll be coming home with cinder when your finished in vale". The confusion jaune felt obviously showed on his face because Salem let out another sigh "I'm guessing she didn't tell you"?

Jaune shook his head and explained all that he knew of the situation in vale and hoped Salem would shed some light on what was really happening within their group. A troubled expression formed on Salems face "I see, so Alec is finally making his move after all this time". The blonde didn't understand "what do you mean master's making his move? isn't he on our side"?

"Oh yes, he's on our side except this side doesn't include you in it" she said calmly which only confused him more.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be included in this"?

"It's a long story but to sum it up quickly, Alec's problem isn't necessarily with you but your father and he's never been able to let it go even after all these years. There's also the fact that you've been gone for so long that your absence is only fueling his suspicion that you've turned traitor. In fact Alec's been keeping a eye on you in hopes he can find evidence supporting his suspicions so I can give the order to have you done away with".

To say all this was a lot to get his head around was a understatement and worse he felt sick to his stomach that his own master actually thought like that. Jaune rubbed his face and sighed "ok that kinda explains masters motive I guess but what about cinder and vernal, are they helping him? And why haven't you stopped him yet"?

Salem smiled "Jaune I've made a rule to not intervene in the squabbles of those I rule over as long as they still succeed in fulfilling my orders. I've shown plenty of favoritism to you and it's creating a divide between me and my subordinates so I've decided that if Alec aims for your life you have the right to do the same in reverse. This rule also applies to those who choose to side with one or the other of course".

"Mother don't you think that's a little reckless? We're supposed to be in the middle of trying to retrieve the relic from Ozpin and his cronies and you want to green lit a battle royal between your forces"? Salem chuckled "sweetie I've been doing this since before the current humanity came to power and if I fail this time I could always try again when your children or grandchildren grow up. This could be a family business".

A frown split jaunes face "mom my family has suffered the worst thanks to this war between you and Ozpin, I don't want my descendants to go through the same thing. Besides that I'm not about to have kids anytime soon, I'm only seventeen and I don't even have a girlfriend yet". Salem tapped her temple in thought "what about cinder? She's very beautiful and has a pair of good hips that would be great for bearing children".

Jaune face turned red like a tomato "MOM" he yelled at the screen. "Well there's always vernal, she's loyal to you more so then me and she's been smitten with you for a while. Better to have someone who'd stick with you through thick and thin then not at all".

Jaunes hand gripped his face as he groaned in embarrassment "can we please get back on topic? I need to at least know what the plan is if I'm going to stand a chance against master, cinder and Adam".

"Not vernal"?

Jaune thought about it before answering "I think I might be able to get vernal to join me if it really comes down to it. Although I would much prefer not to fight cinder as well if I could avoid it" he said grimly.

"And yet you'll have to cause you know who's side she'll choose in the end". Salem words were always filled with truth and in this case they were also filled with dread. "When you were younger you always spoke of how you wanted to be a knight like in the story books I read you but by now I'm sure your aware of the duties that come with such a job"?

Jaune nodded but even still he couldn't just give up on what he wanted nor could he run away from what was going to happen to his friends if he turned a blind eye. The blonde stared at Salem for a long second "you know mom I really miss the days when everything wasn't so confusing and I got to spend my days quietly at home". Salem smiled warmly "I do too but time waits for no man and I'm proud to see how much you've grown even though you had to without me".

Her words brought a warm feeling to his chest "thanks I really needed to hear that. So, about the plan mas- I guess I shouldn't call him that anymore since now that he's my enemy and all huh? Anyways what's the plan their working on"?

Salem smiled devilishly "they are aiming to unite the underground of vale under their rule to force the higher ups like the council into doing their bidding. Every politician has a few skeletons in the closet and with plenty of connections there's no doubt something can be found to twist the arm of each council member to turn against Ozpin".

"Ok but if that was all they wouldn't really need a giant force like the fang" the blonde questioned.

Salem smile never faded "the fang is there to give a legitimate reason for the council to dismiss Ozpin and his followers. If Ozpin fails to stop or contain the fang after a long period of time and in times of crisis the people will begin to question weither or not he's really qualified to continue to lead Beacon academy and be their protector. All that would be left is to give the council the support of the masses under our control to boot him out and install one of our agents as headmaster".

Jaune thought about it and realized it was a roundabout way of gaining control of the academy, one that didn't match with cinders way of doing things. Now that he thought about it cinder did say she was following Alec's orders in the first place and this plan did seem more like his doing then hers. The only real question was should he stand in their way and if it was really necessary for them to come to blows?

His answer was clear before he knew it "I can't let them go through with this".

"If that is your choice I won't stop you" Salem answered. The Grimm queen looked at the time on the corner of her scroll "it's getting late now, do make sure to get some sleep and I'll talk to you later". Jaune nodded before wishing her a good night.

After slipping his scroll back into his pocket he headed down to his dorm room to prepare for night ahead. Blankets and a pillow were collected before heading to the commons where to his surprise Blake was waiting with one of her books in hand. "Did I make you wait long" he asked when he was close enough to the couch for her to notice him.

The book in Blake's hand closed on her thumb with enough force to cause her to whimper from the pain. When she regained her composure she turned to the blonde with a fierce scowl spread across her face "don't talk like that it makes me feel like I'm doing something shameful". Jaune smiled devilishly "you mean a man and a woman sleeping together alone in a room isn't shameful"?

Blake's face turned visibly red "th-that's not wh-what we are doing" she spluttered. The blonde smiled as he took a seat next to his faunus friend "Really? And here I went through the trouble of getting a pillow and blanket for us" he said as he lifted the items in his hands to show her.

Blake stared at the blonde for a long second before frowning "your just like yang you know that"? The blonde chuckled "well if you want to blame anyone for the teasing it would definitely be her". He nudged her arm with his and spoke warmly "but in all seriousness are you ready for bed cause I am".

She didn't speak but instead took the pillow out of his hands and laid against the armrest of the couch. Jaune follow suit and laid behind her when she made room for him and covered them with the blanket. The two remained silent as they huddled under the thick blanket just like all the other times they had in the past until Blake scooted back into jaunes chest where his arm wrapped around her and held her tight.

Blake turned her head towards the blonde before she spoke "this doesn't mean anything". Jaune smiled warmly as he closed his eyes "don't worry I know".

"I mean it".

When jaune didn't answer her she listened to his steady breathing and knew he fell asleep. It was strange because even though she was dying of embarrassment from the situation she could be a little honest with herself when he was asleep. His breath against the back of her cat ears sent shivers down her spine that nearly had her purring out of impulse and his touch was enough to have her feeling safer then she had in years.

He wouldn't have to know anything since he was asleep so she took the chance to make herself more comfortable by turning around so she could bury her face in his chest. "You comfortable down there"? Blake froze for a second before lifting her head to see blue eye's looking back into her own.

"I can explain" she tried but jaune just chuckled at her attempt. "Don't bother" he whispered into her cat ears before closing his eyes again. That night Blake wished she never ask for him to sleep with her.

**Lol Blake getting caught at the end was something I enjoyed writing. The scene with Salem and jaune reminded me of my last talk with my own mother and let me tell you it was just as tiring. Oh and as for the top that's just me ranting cause I'm a jaune fan.**


	60. Chapter 60: unfortunate

**A little bit of momma Salem in the last chapter which was fun so I decided to do it again in the beginning.**

Salem shut her scroll off and placed it on the table in front of her before taking a small sip of her favorite tea. She smiled happily just thinking back on the conversation she just had with her son before her smile died all of a sudden. "I know your there Alec, you can stop skulking in the shadows now" at her command the elder man stepped out from the shadows of the library.

His hair was practically white and his age was obviously catching up to him but his eyes were still the kind only active warriors had. Alec eyed his mistress as she enjoyed another sip of tea "mistress you know jaune is a traitor to our cause so why do you advise him"? Salem placed her steaming mug on the table next to her scroll before turning to her right hand man.

"You've spent several years plotting jaunes demise and all while he believed he was working in our best interest. I don't need to tell you I'm not a fan of disposing my son and your best student just to satisfy your lust for revenge against a man who been dead for over a decade. In light of these circumstance I decided to even the playing field by giving jaune a little bit of info".

Alec didn't seem amused in the slightest but Salem wasn't aiming to please him "if you really want him dead you'll do it with your own hands instead of trying to get cinder to do it".

"Is that your way of saying I have permission to act against him myself"?

Salem smiled viciously "no I'm ordering you to go and face the boy who will be your replacement when he kills you". Alec could see the faith his mistress had in her boy and knew that as long as jaune was still alive it would be impossible to turn Salem into the queen she once was. The elder man gave a small bow to the Grimm queen "as you command" he replied before turning away and leaving the library.

Salem watched the door close before she tried to pick up her scroll. What happened next was a terrible accident when she accidentally knock over her mug of tea and spilled the contents over her scroll. She quickly picked up the scroll and shook what liquid she could off before trying to turn it on. The screen came to life for a brief moment before going dead without her input.

Salem sighed deeply before tossing the scroll back on the table after a few times trying to turn it back on. "I should have gotten watts to get me the huntsmen version rather then the civilian one" she growled.

/

**Next day**

Being warm and comfortable were two things most important to her at the moment and why wouldn't it be when you are sleeping. Blake's cat ears twitched as she heard someone whispering something from close by. When she cracked open her eye to get a look at who was talking she noticed Nora leaning over the back of the couch slowly adjusting jaunes head so he was looking downward and whispering "just a little more" to herself.

Jaune was sleeping peacefully until he heard Blake yell out Nora's name. He tried to sit up quickly but crashed into something before falling back onto the couch. He placed his hand over his face because his teeth started to hurt after crashing into whatever it was he crashed into.

When he finally focused on what was hovering over him he noticed his teammate staring down at him with a shocked look on her face. "Nora what are you doing" he grumbled from his spot on the couch. The red head stood up straight and left the room without a word which had jaune turning to the cat faunus at his side "what just happened"?

Blake shrugged like she didn't know anything but jaune could obviously tell that something had happened when he was out. A loud commotion caught their attention and the two turned to hear Ren try to calm a furious woman out for blood or at the very least broke legs.

"HE STOLE MY PURITY"!

"No he didn't" a calmer voice opposed

"I'm tainted" Nora weeped loudly enough that everyone in the dorms close to theirs could have probably heard her. Jaune quickly hopped off the couch and rushed over to Ren and Nora's side to see if he could help at all. Ren eyed him warily at first but after a moment he knew jaune had no idea what was happening or why Nora was so upset.

"Nora what happened? Are you ok" he asked truly concerned for her wellbeing. The red head glared at him "no I'm not, I just got assaulted by a guy and I'm going to hurt him for what he did". Jaune looked shocked "normally I would stop you from doing something like that but it seems like this bastard asked for it" he said with a bit of disdain in his voice.

Nora looked incredibly happy thanks to his words but Ren on the other hand looked horrified that he just practically gave permission to hurt someone to Nora of all people. "So I can hurt him and it's ok? Your sure" the red head asked with hope in her eye's. Jaune nodded "you have my permission to hunt that man down and give him a taste of what happens when you mess with a huntress".

Nora pull her grenade launcher out and changed it to it's hammer form "thank you jaune I knew you'd understand, now hold still" she said as she aimed her hammer at his knee. At first he was confused as to why she was aiming her hammer at him but when she got ready to strike all his danger signals went off and he jumped back, out of the range of her swing. The red heads attack barley missed it's mark and she pulled her hammer back to ready another shot.

"Hold still and it'll only hurt a lot" Nora snarled as she chased after her blonde team leader. Jaune ducked under or jumped over each swing of the red heads hammer as she got tired of aiming for the knee and just tried to hit anywhere she could. Jaune hopped over the couch that Blake was hiding at and used it as a wall to keep Nora at bay "Nora what the hell"?

Nora tried to move to the right so jaune went left and the two remained opposite of each other with Blake in the center. "Nora as your team leader I'm ordering you to explain yourself right now" the blonde demanded.

Nora froze for a moment to think "you said I was free to hurt the person who assaulted me". He had agreed to that but that didn't explain why she was attacking him not unless he assaulted her but there was no chance of that happening. "Ok so explain why you'd attack me? It's not like I'd ever do something like that to you".

Nora's smile seemed innocent to others but promised him a painful death "oh jaune, first you steal my first real kiss and then you have the nerve to pretend like it never happened? I think I'm going to have to teach you why a womans feelings can be a dangerous thing to mess with so carelessly". Jaune eye's turned to Ren for some help but instead he received a blank stare like the silent man just didn't care about what was happening anymore.

The blonde took a deep breath and exhaled before looking back to the red head that wanted to kneecap him. "Nora I'm not exactly sure what happened but I'm sorry for whatever I did or didn't do to you ok". Some part of him hoped his apology would help but the other part of him, the realistic part already knew what was going to happen before it happened.

The red head smiled sweetly and for a second jaune thought the impossible had happened but when she spoke her voice had a slight hiss to it. "Apology accepted so why don't you come over here so I can bury you...I mean so we can bury the hatchet". Jaune sighed deeply before running out of the commons with the red head hot on his tail screaming for him to come back and take it like a man.

Blake and Ren watched the two teammates disappear from the room leaving the two of them alone together. Blake turned to her teammate "what did she mean jaune stole her purity"? Ren decided not to get into the craziness Nora left in her wake and decided to change the subject "so you and jaune were together all night and from the looks of it you both slept togethers as well. Guess that explains why the two of you are always together every time I see you".

Blake blushed and immediately started to deny having that kind of relationship with her fellow team leader just as yang, pyrrha and ruby walked in to the room. Her mouth clicked shut but by the look on Yang and pyrrha's face they either didn't believe her or were planning her demise. For the second time in two days she wished she had never asked jaune to sleep with her.

/

It took a while but with classes starting up Nora was forced to halt her on going attack against her team leader less she get in trouble with the deputy headmistress Glynda goodwitch. Classes were a dull affair and with each new one jaune was forced to sit away from his team along with Blake since there seemed to be a lot of hate aimed at the two of them. "Am I the only one who thinks this is unfair" jaune complained as they walked to their next class.

Ruby smiled awkwardly "it's a woman thing jaune, you just have to suck it up and not make it worse". Jaune opened his mouth to object but ruby cut him off "yes jaune I know it's still unfair but life has never been fair". The blondes mouth snapped shut before he reached over and yanked ruby's hood over her head before ruffling her hair with the red cloak.

Ruby struggled underneath his hand until she pulled away from him. "I don't need a smart aleck when I'm rolling around in self pity already" he grumbled. Blake sighed from next to him "lucky for you it's just Nora, try handling yang and pyrrha at the same time then get back to me".

Jaune rolled his eyes at the cat faunus "all they've done so far is give you the cold shoulder and ignore you, I'd take that over being chased around by someone willing to snap my bones like twigs". Both ruby and Blake could imagine that happening if Nora caught their blonde friend. The unpleasant thought of seeing jaunes knees snapping like a pair of twigs caused them both to flinch especially when those twigs broke because of large hammer smashed through them.

Right when the three were about to enter miss goodwitch's class the red head jaune worried about caught him from behind and dragged him away before any words could be spoken. Blake and ruby exchanged nervous looks with each other before sending a silent prayer to their soon to be deceased friend.

/

Nora dragged her prey behind her until they came to a classroom devoid of anyone's presences. With more force then necessary she tossed the blonde into the room before closing and locking the door behind her. Jaune rolled on the ground the second he was thrown into the room before pushing himself to his feet.

He expected Nora to be on him like a wild Grimm out for blood but instead she stood by the door with a frown on her face. If he learned anything about his teammate it was that only two things would stop her from seeking revenge against him for supposedly kissing her. The first was either she calmed down enough that she'd only demand an apology (which didn't seem likely) or two being someone with more authority then a team leader was forcing her to reel in her anger for another reason.

"What happened" he asked even though he had a feeling he wasn't going to like what she was going to say.

"Vernal and cinder received a call via seer from the queen explaining that Alec Mercer will be joining them for the duration of this mission" Nora replied. Jaunes eye's widened at what Alec's arrival would imply but a part of him knew this would happen if what his mother said yesterday was true. The blonde began to pace back and forth as he tried to get his nerves under control.

Nora watched her team leader for a second before continuing "when lady Salem finished speaking to the two of them she asked to speak with mistress vernal alone. Ren, vernal and I were filled in on the situation between your father and master alec so mistress vernal decided to side with you in your fight against Alec's forces".

Jaune froze in his pacing and turned to Nora "if vernal decided to join my side against master Alec, why hasn't she contacted me yet"? Nora's eyes turned downward towards the ground "I was given orders to tell you and Ren of the situation as I know it. Mistress vernal was assumed a traitor shortly after her conversation with Salem so she told me to tell Ren and you that we'll be following your orders from now on".

Jaunes hand covered his face as he tried to get his thoughts in order "so what happened to your mistress Nora"? The red head waited for jaune to look at her before she spoke "she was captured before she could get away".

**Alec has joined the battle! Poor Nora and Ren, their mistress was taken and now they are stuck following her last orders.**


	61. Chapter 61: crisis

**I've been thinking of ways I can continue to make this even slightly a bit more interesting and I feel like I probably got just the thing. GeralRrex to answer your question about pyrrha's weapon for her first draft I only have one thing to say and that's "Idk". I never saw if she had a different weapon from her original so I just kept it the same as the one she got in the TV show.**

This was probably the worst thing jaune could think would happen and even worse there's wasn't a thing he could do about it at the moment. Jaune took a deep breath and exhaled before taking a step toward his teammate. Despite how much of a grudge Nora had against him the worry for her mistress far outweighed her own anger.

Jaune could see it in the way her hands clenched and her body trembled with anger at not being able to go to Vernals side. The blonde knew that his friend must have done something good to gain such loyalty from Nora and Ren that they'd feel this worried about her. "Tell me Nora, if you had to choose between me and vernal who would you save" jaunes asked with a serious expression.

Nora glared up at him "obviously I'd choose mistress vernal a hundred times over you". Jaune nodded "if that's the case then unfortunately I can't have either you or Ren working with me". The moment those words left his mouth he knew how she would react. Nora grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and yanked him towards her "and why the hell can't you" she screamed at him furiously.

Jaunes hand took hold of Nora's left wrist and began to gently pry it off "how about you hear me out first before you wring my neck"? The red head was reluctant at first but managed to calm herself enough to see reason. Jaune massaged the back of his neck as he spoke "how much do you know about master Alec"?

"Not much, just that he's the one who trained you, cinder and mistress vernal".

Jaune nodded to her words "well your not wrong for one but hasn't vernal ever told you anything more? Like what kinda of person he was as a trainer or what we had to do as a part of his training regiment"? Nora shook her head "Vernal doesn't like to speak of her training, in fact most of her time under Alec's tutelage is a big mystery except that you were there with cinder for most of it".

Jaune shrugged his shoulders "I should've expected as much seeing as all the crap we went through would definitely be considered as child endangerment. Anyways the reason I brought this up is because Alec is like cinder but multiple that by fifty...or maybe a hundred now. Just imagine cinder with children of her own and you kinda get a idea of what our childhood was like".

Nora silently thought about it before her face scrunched up in displeasure. The blonde chuckled lightly "now that you get an idea of what our master is like from all that I'll explain why we can't work together". Jaune face turned serious "Alec will go to any length to win even if it means resorting to torture".

The red head looked shocked "surely he wouldn't? Mistress vernal hasn't even done anything yet and you think he'll just torture her for no good reason"? Jaune nodded "knowing Alec he'll want to remove anyone who he might believe would choose me over him. There's also the fact that your my teammate here in Beacon which puts you in the unique situation to keep an eye on me at all times".

The blonde sighed deeply as he passed his hand through his hair "you said it yourself that you'd choose vernal over me and I'm sure Alec will use that to his full advantage". Nora gritted her teeth "just for our corporations he'd hurt her so easily"?! Jaune tapped his forehead "now that we know what he could do with vernal we just have to use that information to the best of our ability".

Nora watched her team leader begin to pace back and forth once more as he whispered to himself. She wanted to ask if there was anyway she could help but if what jaune said was true he wouldn't tell her. The blonde stopped pacing at the sound of a scroll going off.

Nora reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll before looking at the caller ID only to see an unknown caller. She clicked the answer icon and held her scroll to her ear "hello"? A deep voice she knew all too well since the man on the line was exactly the one she and jaune had been talking about earlier. "Nora I'm glad you picked up so quickly, there has been a new development that I could use you and Ren for" Alec answered.

Nora's eyes looked up towards the blonde who watched her like a hawk "master Alec is there something I can help you with" she asked nervously. The line was quite for a short time before a chuckle could be heard "it looks like I was too late in getting your cooperation before you reached jaune...put him on". The demand had her moving over to jaune before holding the scroll out for him to take.

Jaune took the scroll from the red head and placed it to his ear "it's been awhile Alec".

"I am still your master brat that's unless you forgot all of a sudden".

"You kinda lost my respect when you decide to aim for my life for no reason or did you forget that" the blonde retorted to his former master. There was a low grunt that came from Alec's side "I suppose we can skip the pleasantries and get to the meat of this then. In two days time I'll arrive in vale, on that day your going to surrender yourself to me without a fuss".

The demand caused a scowl to spread over jaunes face "and why the hell would I just willingly throw myself to my executioner"?! Jaune could practically imagine the smile on his former masters face as he spoke "because if you don't I'll have your precious vernal take your place at the end of my blade". The blonde gritted his teeth hard enough that he was sure his gums were close to bleeding.

The aura around jaunes body started to shimmer as his anger rose to new heights "if your hurt her I swear I'll rip your heart out myself"! Nora took a step back from fear she didn't know she could feel from her team leader. Unlike her, Alec didn't seem as affected by jaunes threat "don't make promises you can't keep boy".

"You said in two days you'll be here right? So tell me what you want me to do within those two days cause I know you don't just want me sitting around waiting" the blonde asked. "What I want is for you to say your goodbyes to your friends and make peace with what time you have left" Alec responded. Jaune looked confused but Alec spoke up before jaune could "think of this time as my farewell gift to my brightest student and jaune I'll know if your contact your friends in the underground".

The blondes hand tightened around the scroll "is that all you wanted"? There was a beeping sound that came from Nora's scroll that had jaune pulling his face away. The video icon blinked and jaune hesitated in answering for a brief second but when he did a separate video screen popped up as the video connected to another scroll. The screen flickered before cinders face appeared before him "jaune" she spoke with a large smile on her face.

"Show him" Alec commanded and the screen from cinders camera swung around to show a person chained to a wall with tore clothes and blood staining their shirt. The camera moved closer and cinders hand reached out and yanked the persons hair up to reveal vernals face covered in bruises and cuts from obvious signs of beatings. Jaunes breath hitched and his nails dug into the palm of his free hand.

The only eye that wasn't swollen over opened and vernal saw his face as cinder held the camera in front of her. "Jaune" her voice came out as a pained whisper but it was just loud enough for him to hear. "Do it" Alec commanded and cinder pushed her palm against vernals shoulder. The brunette felt her skin begin to burn under cinders hand and without any aura to blunt the pain she let out a pained cry that could cause nightmares to even monsters like the Grimm.

"STOP IT"! Jaune scream at the screen hoping his words alone would be enough to stop the scene before him. Alec let the scene play out for another second before he ordered cinder to stop "understand jaune that this is my proof to you if you think I would hesitate in doing what I believe is necessary".

Jaune didn't even get to answer when both calls ended and he was left staring at a blank screen. When the screaming started Nora had covered both of her ears and tried to block out the noise as best she could. When it was over she walked over to her team leader and slowly slipped the scroll from jaunes hand as he stared into a space that had nothing for him.

Nora could only imagine the thoughts going through her leaders mind right now but in the end even she knew he now had no one to help him. In the end Nora chose to not say anything but instead excused herself from the room to leave jaune with his thoughts.

The blonde stood in the same spot for the longest time trying to think of a way to turn this situation around but each time he tried he realized that without junior or his men there wasn't even a chance of getting out alive. He couldn't do anything and just him and Blake trying to get vernal alone wasn't even a possibility because Blake didn't even know the truth of the situation. The blonde had hoped he would never have to tell her the truth but even if he did and she accepted him they were still just two people verses Salems best.

Was that it then? Was there really nothing he could do? Jaune leaned his back against the wall before sliding down to the floor. In a desperate attempt he pulled out his scroll and tried to call Salem only for there to be no answer.

His scroll dropped to the floor before a laughter that bordered on hysteria tore from his lips.

That was it then, there was nothing left. After all his planning and ideas all it took was one hostage to destroy everything he built in one go. It wasn't like he could just forsake vernal and let her die since he never let something like this happen in the past. Even if by some chance he could let her die he doubted he'd be able to handle it mentally if at all.

What could he do? Who could he trust? He didn't know how long he sat there but it felt like hours and after awhile he stood up and left back to his dorm room for some much needed rest.

**Honestly I wasn't planning to post anything until next week but after writing this I felt like this could be my Thanksgiving present to my readers. I hope you ladies and gentlemen have a wonderful Thanksgiving from yours truly!**

**Nexus26 out**


	62. Chapter 62: well now

**SOME SPOILERS FOR RWBY VOLUME 8 EPISODE 4 DON'T READ TOP IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.**

**First ****off, **_**TheSlySage **_**I would love to do a fic like that but it'll have to wait for later since I'm usually so busy. Second to my guest I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way but I gotta give props to RT for this newest episode fault cause it really showed how much jaune has changed and I really liked it.**

**Also I can't be the only one thinking that team mantle has a way better story going on then team amity. I mean they had the hound and are dealing with more problems and have better interactions with each other then ruby's team. Plus that chase scene in the new episode was pretty great in my opinion but did anyone notice how jaune held Ren on his shield with one arm?! Nora was right, he's definitely earned that "mister muscles" title lol.**

Most days when they all met in the cafeteria for food they'd chat about either class or how crappy their food was but not today. The two teams sat quietly next to each other and exchanged awkward looks with one another before looking to the blonde leader who was acting like the life had been drained from him. Ruby's eyes darted from jaune to Nora and noticed the red head eating her food like a normal person which was weird in its own right.

Yang looked to her cousin and then to the rest of their friends and gave them a shrug of her shoulders when they silently asked what happened. Weiss was the first to get fed up with the atmosphere and stood up "ok this has gone on long enough". The heiress turned her attention to her team leader "jaune I don't know what's wrong with you but you need to get a hold of yourself. Just watching you sit there like your life came to an end is creeping me out"!

Weiss's words got a reaction not from the blonde but the red head who had stopped eating when the heiress had finished laying into her team leader. Nora glared at the heiress for a brief second before standing up from her seat to walk over to her leader. The two whispered to each other before the red head helped him out of his seat and the two left the cafeteria together.

Weiss held her arms out like she was addressing the heavens themselves "what just happened"? Ren was normally a quiet guy who didn't say much but every once in a while he spoke up and in this moment he felt the need to "I think it's best to leave them alone for now".

Ruby turned to pyrrha's partner with a questioning gaze "do you know what happened? Jaunes never acted like this before". Ren shook his head, a clear action to tell someone he didn't know but deep down he did and could understand the blondes change. Blake got out of her seat and was clearly unwilling to listen to Ren's advice as she too left the cafeteria to hunt down her partner in crime.

/

"You know you should tell them something".

Jaune sat in their dorms window and continued to stare out into the vast blue of the sky "what am I supposed to say to them exactly"? Nora clenched her hands into fists "anything! Tell them you found something else you wanted to do besides being a hunter so your going to pursue that or something close so they won't worry when your gone". The blonde didn't turn away from the scene he took for granted everyday since he got to Beacon "so you want the last thing I give them to be a lie? I can't do that".

Nora's eyes drifted to the floor as her frustration dissipated. He was right and she knew for sure she'd be torn up if that was how someone she cared about left her. "Then what are you going to say"?

"Nothing" he answered.

"You can't just say nothing, these people have grown up with you, trust you and you plan to just disappear from their lives without so much as a good bye" Nora fired off angrily. Jaune turned to the red head with a icy glare "I don't see why what I do about my affairs should matter to you, after all, what I'm doing will save your mistress". When the red head clammed up jaune stepped away from the dorm window "besides it matters little in the end since the jaune these people know has only been a lie from the beginning".

Jaune passed nora and opened the rooms door to reveal the cat faunus he came to call a partner. Blake had obviously been eavesdropping on their conversation but instead of jaune scolding her for doing so he mearly stepped aside to let her enter the room.

The door closed behind her and the first thing she did was ask a simple question to the red head "why do you think jaunes going to disappear"? Nora didn't look like she was going to answer so Blake turned to the blonde behind her "why does she think your going to disappear"? He didn't answer her like she hoped he would so she decided to skip the niceties and pushed him against the door and glared up at him with one hand on his chest "Tell me"!

Jaune stared back into her amber eye's and saw determination in them but also a tinge of fear. Was that because she was worried he'd leave her too or because she'd be left to face her ex by herself was the real question. Blake's hand twitched when she felt jaunes hand cover hers.

The blonde pushed himself away from the door and closer to the cat faunus "all right" he answered in a low voice. Blake didn't move from her spot in front of him as she listened to the blondes current problem. At first she didn't understand why jaune would sacrifice himself for one of their people so jaune went back and spilled everything about who he really was and how things got to this point.

Betrayed was the first thing she felt when he'd finished his long story but more than that she felt hurt. She had placed her trust in the man before her and yet in one fell swoop it felt like he shattered everything she believed in.

The people they were fighting, the reason jaune was willing to throw his life away and worst of all the plan for Beacon, her safe haven after leaving the fang and where her friends stayed. Blake's eyes looked down at the hand that covered her own and wanted nothing more then to smack it away and punch the man it belonged to but she didn't. There was still something she needed to know, something she desperately wanted in the hope it would change things around so she asked "what about us? Do we mean nothing to you" she whispered.

Years he spent with his friends and even though at first it was only to survive he couldn't deny that he came to care for them. Ruby was his best friend, pyrrha a childhood friend, yang a sister just like saphron and Blake...she was something far more precious to him then he could put into words especially in these dark times. "You mean everything to me" he answered without thinking.

The cat faunus's eyes widened and her cheeks darkened at the sudden confession. Nora who had been as quiet as a mouse gasp and covered her mouth. Blake's hand slipped away from jaunes and she turned away hoping to hide the blush that wouldn't go away and to calm her heart before it popped out of her chest.

Jaune was confused by her reaction at first until he played the scenario back in his mind. When he realized what he said he coughed into his fists and turned away "I meant all of you, I mean" he tried but even he wasn't convinced. Blake's head bobbed slightly "y-yeah all of us" she repeated as she clenched her fist to her chest.

Blake wasn't entirely convinced despite jaunes confession but if he was ever going to prove himself, now was going to be the time. She turned back to the blonde and decided to commit to this feeling no matter how embarrassing because it was probably the best chance she had to convince jaune to live and more importantly to change. To say he was caught off guard was the understatement of the century especially when he felt Blake's hand guide his face to hers.

Nora's hands moved from her mouth to her eyes to block out the view except for the fact her fingers spread open so she could still see. Jaunes eye's widened but despite his surprise he neither pushed her away or moved back but instead decided to enjoy the moment. Blake's lips separated from jaunes a moment later but her face remained close with her eyes closed.

"It doesn't matter-" she whispered to him "-their plans, their schemes or how many enemies we face just don't give up on this...on us". Blake's eyes opened and she stared into his blue while giving him a warm smile to show her support.

Jaune didn't really know what to say but he knew what to think and he felt like kicking himself for acting like such a idiot for thinking sacrificing himself would end things. Alec already planned to eliminate him because Alec believed that he betrayed Salem and if he could jump to such a decision like that, who's to say he wouldn't do the same with vernal. She already planned to join him against Alec so that pretty much made her a traitor as well.

Jaune smiled at the cat faunus but blushed a moment later. It was a good kinda weird to think that the woman in front of him could snap him out of his mood with one move but he didn't want to be the only one like this. "I wanna kiss you right now" he said to Blake and her reaction was to blush madly at the request but seeing how she stole his lips earlier she felt it was only fair.

Blake nodded slowly and felt jaune move in and capture her as she did him. The two broke apart after a brief second and jaune stepped past Blake when she turned away with a blush. The blonde stepped up to nora and began to explain what he came up with in the moment he took to think straight.

Nora looked shell shocked at first before she spoke "if he's just going to kill her then what the hell's the point of this so called deal"?

"To gather and eliminate all potential enemies in one go...I suppose that includes you as well as Ren".

Nora gritted her teeth in anger "then what are we gonna do? And you better not tell me that leaving vernal to die is a option". The blonde shook his head "trust me I wouldn't and after thinking about what we could do to death I think I might finally have an idea" he said to the surprise of the others.

"So what's the plan" Blake asked as she moved to join the two. Jaune sighed deeply "it's a bit tricky but the gist of it is that I gotta make a deal with one of the worst criminal in human history". Blake and nora exchanged nervous looks with one another before turning back to the blonde "why torchwick"?

Jaune grimaced "not quite who I meant".

**Well now jaune getting some of that Bella booty, Nicholas would be so proud. Jaune is a smart guy but he's still just a human, so getting hit with that doubt and depression would still affect him like everyone else.**

**It's funny, my uncle is always telling me "a good woman will always change a man for the better no matter how stubborn he wants to be" and I guess I kinda did that here with Blake and jaune. My uncle would be so proud.**


	63. Chapter 63: father's enemy

**Can't believe I was so bored I actually finished this before Monday! I was so sure I'd be doing overtime at work for the next few years. Oh well I guess this gives me a chance to start on the next chapter earlier. With any hope I might have the next chapter After this one sometime next week...unless there's overtime.**

After sneaking passed vales security for so many years undetected the thrill of being caught didn't even register anymore. To make matters even worse Alec simply strolled around town without a hood on and nobody, not even the police stopped to even questioned him.

Alec walked down a nearby alleyway that was guarded by two faunus's who were smoking cigarettes. The two men watched the elder man walk right passed them without a care in the world so they decided to follow. When Alec came to a staircase that led downward into a hidden bar the two faunus's that followed him cut him off.

"What you doing here old man" one of the men asked. The elder man looked between the two jackasses and realized that they were probably two grunts who didn't know squat. That was fine with him since after his flight here he was in need of some light exercise.

/

Cinder sat at the table with emerald and mercury on each side as she swirled the wine in it's glass. Today was supposed to be the day when jaune handed himself over to her...them, she corrected. Her wine was placed on the table untouched because she didn't feel in the mood to drink it.

The sound of footsteps could be heard running up stairs before going silent. Something was off but she just didn't know what it was until the loud bang of a gun went off. The raven haired woman didn't look away from her glass of wine "go see what that is, will you".

Emerald and mercury exchanged looks with one another to mentally decide who would go. Eventually mercury decided to take the chance to leave since nothing was more boring than standing around like a guard to someone who obviously disliked him. The silver haired assassin rushed off and up the stairs to reach the small bar that was filled with a bunch of unconscious faunus's and humans alike.

Standing in the center of the wreckage that was once the bar was a white haired old man with a smile on his face. Mercury recognized Alec the moment he saw him and knew cinder would have his head if he didn't show the proper respect. He wasn't used to kneeling in front of people or showing respect to grown ups who hadn't deserved it but, after serving cinder he did understand the fear that these people could inspire in him.

Mercury was careful to approach the elder man lest he be viewed as a potential opponent. When the assassin was close enough he knelt on one knee "master Alec we weren't notified of your arrival".

Alec turned to the teen and was about to say something when a faunus tried to grab his pant leg from his position on the floor. The elder man struck the faunus in the face with his foot, knocking him out "he was tougher then I gave him credit for" he whispered to himself. Now that he was finished with his exercise Alec regarded the teen closely "get up boy, you and I both know I'm not your master".

"Dick" mercury whispered. He stood back up and faced the elder man with his usual confidence "cinders down below but she hasn't told us when you'd be arriving".

Alec nodded "not surprising since I didn't tell her exactly when I'd be here". The silver haired teen couldn't help the small smile that found it's way to his face "even so, I think we should go before she sends her guard dog to come find us". Alec nodded to the teen and allowed him to guide the way.

Cinder had finally finished her wine and was almost thinking about going up to see what was taking mercury so long when the teen came down the stairs with her master. She nearly flew out of her seat in surprise and fell to one knee as quickly as she could "master I'm surprised you didn't tell me you would be arriving so early". Mercury stepped to the side and allowed Alec to pass him by.

"You would do well to curb your dog less I do it for you" the elder man replied without looking at her. Cinders head shot up and turned to her side to see emerald glaring at her master "emerald"! The green haired teen looked to her mistress before bowing her head in apology.

Mercury snickered from behind Alec which earned him a sharp glare from both of his teammates. Alec took a quick look around and let out a tired sigh "I'm disappointed in you cinder". His words felt like a slap to the face and she couldn't help but grimace "I don't understand, what have I done to earn your disapproval"?

"Are you truly so ignorant that you don't see what you being here, in this place means"?

"I don't-"

"Silence" he commanded in such a furious tone that cinder couldn't help but tremble where she knelt. The elder man took a deep breath to calm himself "you are aware that you have two spies that know of this place, yet despite that knowledge you remained unprepared and unguarded".

"We have them under surveillance at all times" she tried to argue.

"Um about that-" a new voice interrupted. Cinder looked to see Roman and neo appear out from under neo's semblance. Roman tipped his hat to the elder before continuing "we actually seem to have misplaced the two spies" he said slowly. Cinder just wanted to roast the thief right then and there for humiliating her not just in front of her followers but also in front of her master.

Cinder looked to her master to see what his response was only to see the elder man rubbing the bridge of his nose with both eyes closed. "Roman have you by any chance acquired another safe house we could use just in case this ones compromised"?

Roman smiled triumphantly "well of course I do, after all what kind of master thief would I be with only one hideout"? A smile spread across the elder man's face at the news "and that's why I like you Roman. Have your men gather anything that might be important and have it transported to the new hideout".

Roman bowed like every great showman ever "will that be all sire or is their something else I could do for you"? Alec placed his hands behind his back while he smiled "as a matter of fact their is. From this point on you will refer to me as boss, seeing as how I'll be taking command of our operations going forward".

Cinder knew what those words meant and stood to her full length "I need some fresh air" she said before leaving their underground base. She didn't get far when emerald caught up with her. "I want to be alone" cinder stated before the girl could even speak.

Just like all the times before when she spoke, emerald obeyed and stayed quite while she walked away.

/

**Beacon**

"Jaune arc, yang xiao long please come to the front of the class".

None of the students really got what was going on because miss goodwitch said it would be a secret and kept what was about to happen from even the other teachers. When the two blondes got to the front of the class, Glynda called out two more name's "Sun wukong and Neptune vasilias, please join us". The two teens got up from their seats and made their way to the front of the class where jaune and yang were.

When the second pair stood to Glynda's right side she turned to the rest of her students "children I'm sure by now you know of the upcoming festival that was created to foster peace and trust with each kingdom correct"? Some of the students whispered to each other while others nodded in agreement with their professor. Glynda adjusted her glasses slightly "in light of the upcoming festival we will be using it's purpose to bring our students together as well".

The students seemed confused at first but soon understood what today's class entailed. Glynda turned to the four in front of the class "miss xiao long for this match you'll be teaming up with one of the two boys from your sister academy. Please choose carefully, for the spare shall be joining young mister Arc in a team battle against you and your choice of partner".

Yangs eye's widened in surprise "wait what?! But miss G I don't know anything about these guys. How am I supposed to trust them to have my back if I don't even know what they can do"?

The crop in the professors hand slapped against her palm and silenced yang in one move. "Trust, miss xiao long isn't something that happens instantly when you meet someone new. That being said, in a hunters field of work there will be times where you won't have the luxury of knowing who your working with or how they operate. When your not with your team will you be helpless or helpful"?

Yang crossed her arms and wore a determined look on her face "sorry but I'm never helpless xiao long as I have these" she said as she flexed her arm muscles.

Jaune groaned into his hand after hearing yangs terrible pun. He moved behind his partner and pushed her forward slightly "just hurry up and pick before you embarrass us anymore then usual". Yang shrugged nonchalant "fine let's go with...wait since when have I embarrassed anyone from our team"?

"Since always" weiss yelled over the class which earned a few giggles from their fellow peers. Yang gave her teammate the finger only for it to be smacked down a moment later by jaune.

Miss goodwitch cleared her throat and gave them a pointed looked "if your done wasting my and everyone else's time could you hurry up and pick your new teammate". Yang turned back to the two mistral students before sizing them up in the only way she knew how. Taking their looks into consideration she found her eye's drawn to the monkey faunus's impressive abs "that one".

Sun looked to his teammate and gave him a two finger salute before moving over to yangs side. Although he hid it well, Neptune couldn't help but feel a little let down that the hot blonde chose his partner instead of him. Jaune moved over to his new teammates side and nudged him with his elbow "yangs a close range boxer so be careful if she targets you".

Neptune turned to jaune with a shocked expression "I can't believe you just ratted out your own partners fighting style to me".

"Would you have preferred if I waited till after she shattered ribs or before"?

Neptune laughed thinking it a joke until he noticed jaunes very serious face. His laughter turned to a very nervous one before he cleared his throat "before, definitely before". Jaune smiled at the way his new teammate changed his tone "good, then now you know" he answered as he drew his sword.

Miss goodwitch looked between the teams and raised her crop "we will begin on my mark. Begin!

**A brand new team up! Good luck Neptune, I really hope yang doesn't turn your ribs to powder. Lol.**

**Just in case nobody knows, the next few chapters will cover one day. The day of jaunes surrender.**


	64. Chapter 64:team battle

**I did as I set out to do. Complete a new chapter.**

The battle had begun and yang launched herself towards jaune using ember celica. Jaune held his sword at the ready but yang had other plans as she fired another shot from her weapon that changed her trajectory towards the blue haired teen. Thanks to the jaunes early warning of how yang fought, neptune was better prepared for the blondes close combat fighting style.

Neptune thrusted his trident forward forcing yang to block it with her gauntlets before she impaled herself. Jaune moved to attack yang from behind but was stopped by a golden clone of sun. The clone wasn't anything special on it's own but when it was joined by two more, along with its original body it suddenly became a lot more difficult to try and help his partner.

Holding back wasn't an option anymore and jaune decided to really give it his all. Fighting four opponents at once was difficult so instead of trying to dodge every attack he could, jaune allowed some to land. Tanking some of the clones punches were better then getting hit by Sun's staff.

The clones had no weapons of their own so jaune aimed for counters and began slicing through their bodies as he dodged and ducked under Sun's attacks. The first two clones fell easily enough and gave jaune more room to maneuver away from sun so he could finish off the last clone. Jaune ducked under a right cross and sliced through the clones torso before spinning on the spot and swinging his blade towards sun's neck.

The monkey faunus leaned back and balanced on his tail to give enough room for the sword to miss it's mark. There was a click and jaunes blade shot out and nailed sun in the chin effectively knocking him off his tail to the ground. In the next moment jaune swung his whip blade towards yang when she wasn't looking.

Yang had continued her onslaught on the blue haired teen until she landed a liver blow that dropped the boy to his knee. Neptune lifted his trident to block another of yangs punches when her hand grabbed the center of his weapon. She smiled and winked at the boy as she pulled down his guard with more strength then neptune thought possible.

In his mind he couldn't help but scream "not the face" when the busty blonde aimed to smash his face in. Jaunes whip blade wrapped around yangs forearm before she could and pulled her away from the blue haired teen. Yang stumbled towards jaune but managed to use her free arm to guard against any attack jaune might have attempted.

That's what she thought until something hit the center of her back and then the back of her leg. Yangs head turned slightly and saw neptune with his trident in its gun form on one knee and realized he shot her. The electric dust bullets neptune used weakened yang enough that jaune smashed through her guard with a left punch that moved on to land on the right side of her face.

Yang was already on shaky legs when jaune struck her to the ground. When she tried to get up jaune rushed her before she could amount any type of meaningful defense. Neptune saw sun aiming to take advantage of jaunes back so he rushed forward and engaged his friend.

/

In the stands ruby cheered for jaune and her cousin even though they were currently fighting each other. Nora cheered for her team leader and weiss gripped the edge of her combat skirt as she watched the fight with bated breath. Blake knew of yangs strength and skill and found her eye's glued to the fight the two blondes were engaged in, for worry her blonde may suffer as she did.

/

Sun locked weapons with neptune and took the chance to see how his partner was doing. Poorly apparently. Yang was doing everything in her power to try and fight back but jaune made it his mission to keep his fellow blonde off balance as he slashed away at whatever he could. Sun's gazed back at his friend "sorry" he said before pulling back to create a single clone to take his place.

The clone reached out and grabbed neptunes trident to keep him from moving while sun jump over the clone to smash his staff on the blue teens head. Neptune fell to a knee while sun landed behind him before rushing off to give his teammate a much needed hand.

Yang blocked jaunes sword with her right gauntlet before she heard someone yell.

"Heads up"!

Sun baseball slid right into the back of jaunes legs and dropped him to the floor. Yang saw her chance and activated her semblance at full blast before firing herself at her target. Jaune had barely gotten to his feet when he came face to face with a burning goddess set on revenge.

Neptune spun his trident with the clone still holding on until he could flip the phantom person over his shoulder and slammed him on the ground. Before the clone could stand back up, neptunes trident stabbed into it's chest causing it to vanish. The sound of a miniature explosion drew the blue haired teens attention and what he saw clearly spelled trouble for his teammate.

Jaune had clearly tried to block yangs punch by catching it with his own hand but the force behind yangs punch carried jaunes hand back to it's owners face. Neptune watched his partners head rock to the side with enough force to give even a huntsmen whiplash. Jaunes eyes were glazed over from the first hit but yang knew one hit wasn't enough so she focused all her piled up energy and delved into a combination of left and right hooks that rocked her enemy from left to right.

Neptune watched in horror as jaune was beaten by his own friend like he was the greatest evil in the world until she finished of with a right straight that was obviously the finisher. The flames in yangs hair died out just as jaune was launched away from her thanks to her punch. She was so sure she had finally won that the fact jaune was caught by his current partner came as a shock.

Neptune moved in the way of jaunes flying form to stop him from going out of bounds. Feet skidded across the floor as the blue haired teen used his body to bleed off the speed at which jaune flew until they stopped at the edge of the ring. "That wasn't so hard" neptune thought before he began to wheeze and coughed as he dropped to his knees with his teammate in his arms.

"Thanks for the save".

Neptune looked down to see jaune alert and awake which was even more surprising since he thought the teen was unconscious or probably dead in some capacity. The blonde struggled to get to his feet so neptune helped him but even then jaune felt like he was going to fall over if his partner let go. "Don't look so surprised yang I'm sure you already knew it would take more then that to keep me down" jaune said with a large grin.

Yangs hands clenched into fists as she got ready to charge once more "fine with me if you want more" she thought. Neptune glared at his partner "are you out of your mind?! You barely survived her last beating and now your goading her? Not to mention your barely on your feet as is"!

Yang rushed forward and used her gauntlets to close the distance between them. Neptune was ready to intervene but felt a hand on his shoulder before he was pushed to the ground. It didn't take a genius to figure out who pushed him but he had to wonder why?

The teens question was answered when jaune took yangs right fist to his face and fell back from the punch. Neptune watched the fate of the sacrificed, that was until jaunes hands wrapped around yangs forearm before his legs came up and did the same around yangs neck. The busty blonde looked just as shocked as he felt but there was nothing she could do as jaune pulled her over the edge of the ring for a double ring out.

Neptune looked over the edge to see yang pinned under his partner "smooth" he couldn't help but think. Yang on the other hand stared up at jaune "that...that was cheap" she growled. "Yeah well I took maybe one to many hits to the head cause I couldn't think of a better way for a comeback" he responded with a smirk.

Yang let out a sigh before her position under her crush actually registered in her mind. He was so close that she could practically feel his breath on her skin. Her lips went dry and she felt the desperate need to lick them but worried that might look too suggestive to her fellow blonde.

"I'm yang xiao long so why do I feel like a preschool girl with a crush" she thought but realized her answer was easily looming over her. Somewhere between that thought and her anger for falling for his trap made her move. Jaunes eye's widened as he felt yang mash her lips with his.

He couldn't tell if it was because of all the adrenaline in his system or because it was yang herself but the moment he met her passionate kiss with his own none of that seemed to matter. The kiss was far from chastised as tongues fought their own battle for supremacy. It lasted for barley a minute before jaune threw himself back and covered his mouth with his right hand. Yang sat up and looked over to her team leader with a shocked expression but before she could get a word out he quickly rushed off as fast as his body would allow.

It took a little longer for yang to return to her seat since she couldn't tell if she did something wrong or how awkward it was going to be to sit with her team with jaune there. Her fingers traced over her lips as she remembered his touch and how right it felt that he returned her feelings...at least for that moment. The match they were in continued until sun stood center stage as the last one standing with neptune grounded next to him.

The other students clapped and cheered for the monkey faunus while glynda announced the results of the fight. Yangs eyes looked to her crush but he seemed busy staring intensely at the part of the ring they fell off from. "No one can see from here" he whispered to himself before sighing.

He more then likely didn't know yang could hear him and how much that one comment hurt her.

/

Once classes ended for the day Blake followed after jaune at his request for a private talk. The two ended up on the roof of the school where they would sometimes meet for conversations away from their teams. Blake knew something was wrong the moment jaune took one look at her and instantly turned away like he was ashamed of something.

"Jaune what's wrong"?

The blonde took a deep breath before turning to her "yang kissed me". Blake's eye twitched "I see" she couldn't help but feel like chasing down the busty blonde to put gambol shroud in her eye. This ugly feeling wasn't going to go away easily and from the way jaune looked there was probably more he hadn't said yet "well it's not like we're dating or anything" she said.

As soon as the words left her mouth she felt terrible about it because in a way it was her getting back at him for what yang did. "Oh" jaune looked a little shocked and saddened but he recovered quickly and cleard his throat "well then, never mind I guess". Blake clenched her fist before looking to the blonde "jaune I didn't-" she cut herself off and looked away "let's just focus on the task at hand and not, this".

Jaune watched the cat faunus for a moment before nodding "Yeah your probably right". The blonde walked past Blake without another word before the door to the roof slammed shut behind her. Blake for her part glared at the floor "damn it" she cursed in anger.

/

Jaune was angry but also quite sad at how things ended before they started. "Why must relationships be so hard" he asked himself. The blonde walked around the school trying to blow off steam and found himself at the landing platforms for the bullheads. Jaune sighed in frustration "what else am I gonna do today" he grumbled as he headed for the closest transport to vale.

Straight to vale he went and actually believed the day just couldn't get any worse.

"Jaune"?!

"Cinder"?!

To bad he had to be wrong.

**Yang causing trouble? Then again she had been waiting years and finally took her chance when it presented itself. Last but not least, hail sun the great.**


End file.
